C of I Sweeps SOU, Pulls into First-Place Tie
CALDWELL, Idaho - Heather Dixon homered in both games, while Jody Zillner picked up two wins, as The College of Idaho pulled into a first-place tie in the Cascade Conference standings with 12-1 and 6-0 wins over Southern Oregon at Symms Field.
With the wins, the Lady Yotes (17-14, 9-3 CCC) drew even with the Raiders atop the league at the halfway point of the season.
Game 1 saw Southern (13-12, 9-3) take an early 1-0 in the first, as with two on and no outs, Megan Laughlin looped a shallow fly ball to right that Stacy Smith played on a hop and got an out at second, but Strohm Fouty was able to score on the play to give SOU the lead.
However, the Lady Yotes chased Raider starter Jordyn Kurtz in the second - sending 12 batters to the plate, as the hosts recorded seven singles and an Amy Rhoades RBI double as part of a six-run frame. They'd bat around again in the third, taking advantage of three SOU errors to plate five - two coming on a Dani Villyard RBI single. The C of I would cap the scoring in the fourth, as Dixon hit a tape-measure home run off the dormitories beyond the left field wall to make it 12-1.
It was enough for Zillner, who allowed just four singles to pick up the win. Haley Butcher went 3-for-3 for the Yotes, with Dixon, Rhoades, Zillner, Villyard, Kristen Haugen, and Brittany Wenzel each recording two hits - as the squad tied the school record with 16 hits in the win.
Game 2 saw the Yotes use the long ball for the victory, as Dixon hit a two-run shot in the first to dead center - a ball that grazed the glove of SOU's Meghan Laughlin and fell over the fence for her tenth homer of the year. Zillner helped her own cause in the third, launching a grand slam out over the left-centerfield fence to make it 6-0. It was all she needed in the circle, fanning six, allowing just six singles to pick up her tenth win of the season.
The Yotes managed just four hits off of starter Amy Seliger and Kurtz, while Laughlin and Kathryn Moy each had two hits in the loss for Southern.
The C of I takes a break from league play with back-to-back home doubleheaders early next week - hosting Great Falls on Monday at 3 p.m., and Boise State on Tuesday at 5 p.m.