C of I Falls to Cal State San Marcos, 9-8
VANCOUVER – Cal State and the College of Idaho needed extra innings to decide their back-and-forth tilt in the opening round of the NAIA West National Qualifying Tournament, but in the end it was the Cougars who came out on top, winning 9-8 in 11 innings on Monday at Thunderbird Park.
In a game that featured 17 runs, 26 hits and seven lead-changes, one might have expected the bats to decide the winner, but it was actually a pair of defensive miscues that allowed the Cougars to pull ahead in the top of the 11th.
Josh Miller’s soft grounder to the left side was mishandled by Coyotes shortstop Camron Hammond, and his throw to first went off the glove of Alex O’Brien and into the dugout, allowing Miller to take second. Both Hammond and O’Brien were charged with errors on the play. Niko Liete came in to pinch-run for Miller, and after Austin Coleman was intentionally walked and Louie Russo popped up to first for the second out of the inning, Mike Pena cashed Liete in from second with a single to right-center field.
Chad Yeggy took the loss as well as a blown save for the ‘Yotes, as he walked Russo in the top of the ninth with the bases loaded to allow the Cougars to tie the game 8-8. Eric Julienne got the win for Cal State, going three-plus scoreless innings while giving up just two hits. Spencer Pardon picked up the save for holding the ‘Yotes off the board in the 11th.
Miller had a solid day at the dish for the Cougars, picking up two doubles and three hits in total. Pena also had a strong showing with three hits of his own, as well as one RBI and one walk. Ricardo Moran and Scott Clement each had two hits and two RBIs. For the Coyotes, Brad Carlsen led the way with two hits and two RBIs. Hammond, Luke Howarth and Cody Brubaker also had multi-hit games.
The Cougars can now look forward to playing in the winners’ bracket Tuesday against Oregon Tech, which downed the UBC Thunderbirds 7-6 in another 11-inning affair on Monday at Nat Bailey Stadium. The Cougars and Hustlin’ Owls are scheduled to meet on Tuesday at 2 p.m., with the winner advancing to the finals on Wednesday. The Coyotes and T-Birds will be fighting for survival tomorrow at 10 a.m., with the winner going on to play the loser of the Cougars-Owls game at 6 p.m., while the loser is eliminated from the tournament.