Katie Zillner picked up her 14th win in Lady Yotes 2-1 victory over EOU
C of I Splits with Eastern, Earns Final Region I Berth
CALDWELL, Idaho - Dani Villyard ripped a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting The College of Idaho softball team to a 2-1 victory over Eastern Oregon, clinching an NAIA Region I Tournament berth at Symms Field. Eastern took the nightcap with a 7-2 victory.
On senior day before an overflow crowd of 500, Villyard hit a two-out offering from Melodee Mildenberger into left centerfield, with Stephanie Stover scoring from second to clinch third-place in the Cascade Conference standings. The Coyotes (24-17, 13-11) will head to the postseason for the third-straight year.
Eastern (21-23, 11-13) took a 1-0 lead on C of I starter Katie Zillner in the fifth on a Crystal Weseman two-out RBI double, but the Coyotes came right back, with Villyard lifting a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the frame to tie the score.
The Mountaineers would have runners in scoring position in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, but Zillner worked out of each jam, picking up her 14th win of the year. She did not allow an earned run for the fifth consecutive outing, striking out 11 batters - pushing her second total to 203.
Villyard went 3-for-4 in the win, with Stacy Smith adding two hits for the Yotes, while Weseman had two hits for the Mountaineers.
Game 2 saw EOU break a 2-2 tie with a four-run fifth inning, keyed by Lydia Holm's tenth home run of the season, to salvage a season-series split with their I-84 rivals. Holm and Ali Stosich each had two hits for the Mounties, while Zillner had a pair of hits for the Yotes.
The C of I will head next week to Klamath Falls, Ore., for the NAIA Region I Tournament - meeting No. 14 ranked Simon Fraser in their opening game. Brackets for the tournament will be released on Sunday.