Pitcher Katie Zillner helped C of I to a pair of wins in Thurday's action at the NAIA Region I Tournament.
Yotes to Play for NAIA Region I Softball Crown
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. -- The College of Idaho softball team will play for the NAIA Region I title Friday afternoon after sweeping a pair of nationally ranked foes here Thursday.
The Lady Yotes (26-17) picked up their first-ever victory over No. 14 ranked Simon Fraser, winning 2-1, in their opening game, then dispatched No. 20 ranked Oregon Tech, 12-7, to earn a berth in the championship game. The C of I will meet the winner of tomorrow's 11 a.m. (PDT) clash between SFU and OIT at 1:30 p.m. - with the Yotes opponent needing to top The C of I twice to win the title. The Region I champion will earn an automatic berth to the NAIA Women's World Series in Decatur, Ala.
Game 1 - C of I 2, Simon Fraser 1: Katie Zillner threw a complete game four-hitter, striking out ten batters as the Lady Yotes upset top-seeded and No. 14 ranked Simon Fraser in the opening game of the 2008 NAIA Region I Tournament. It was the first win for The C of I in 21 meetings against SFU - and avenged a pair of championship game losses to the Clan in the 2007 regional tourney.
The Yotes broke a scoreless dual in the fourth inning, as Zillner reached on a one-out infield single, moving to second on a Dani Villyard walk. Haley Butcher followed with an RBI double that scooted past Clan (14-8) centerfielder Chrissy Harris, allowing Zillner to score. Villyard would score on a Stacy Smith ground out to make it 2-0.
SFU would strike back, getting a Carolyn Bell RBI single in the bottom of the frame, with the Clan loading the bases with one out. However, Zillner got Carly Moir to hit a comebacker, getting the second out at home plate, then coaxed a Heather Reiss fly out to center to escape the threat - as the senior retired the final 11 batters in a row to pick up her 15th win of the season.
Game 2 - C of I 12, Oregon Tech 7: A seven-run fifth inning outburst broke a 3-3 tie, as the Lady Yotes handed No. 20 ranked Oregon Tech their first home loss of the season and earned a spot in the championship game.
The Lady Yotes jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth, but watched as Bess Fagan launched a three-run homer in the bottom of the frame to tie the score. However, it would be short lived, as The C of I batted around in the fifth - with a Caylin LePire pinch hit single giving the Coyotes the lead for good. Villyard added a sacrifice fly, Butcher and Smith added RBI singles, and Kalie Kurdy blasted a three-run homer, part of a career-high five RBI night, to make it 10-3.
OIT would threaten in the bottom of the fifth, scoring twice and chasing Zillner from the circle. However, Brooke Judy would quell the tide, getting a pop up and strikeout with the bases loaded to end the threat.
Butcher, Smith, and Kurdy each had two hits, with Nicole Antonoplos adding a pair of doubles. Amber Sinicrope and Katie King each had two hits for the Owls.
Region I Tournament - Day 1 Results: Game 1 C of I 2, Simon Fraser 1; Game 2 Oregon Tech 7, Concordia 5; Game 3 Simon Fraser 10, Concordia 7 (loser out), Game 4 C of I 12, Oregon Tech 7. Day 2 - Simon Fraser vs. Oregon Tech, 11 a.m. (loser out); C of I vs. SFU-OIT winner, 1:30 p.m.; if necessary game (4 p.m.) - all times Pacific.