Dani Villyard had 7 RBI in twinbill
CALDWELL, Idaho - Canyon County rivals College of Idaho and Northwest Nazarene split tonight's doubleheader at Symms Field, as the Coyotes won the opener in walk-off fashion, 6-5, but dropped the nightcap, 9-7.
In the opener, The C of I (11-13) squandered a 4-0 lead and had to rally with two runs in their final at bat for the win. The Lady Yotes opened the scoring with RBI singles from Kayla Webb and Hannah Johnson, with a second run scoring on Johnson's base hit due to an NNU error. A Dani Villyard RBI ground out in the fifth to push the lead to 4-0.
The Crusaders (7-27) would not quit, getting three runs in the sixth, but Jody Zillner coaxed Nicole Grummons to pop out the with the bases loaded to quell the threat. NNU would take the lead in the seventh on a Sarah Varady sacrifice fly and an Arielle Chao RBI double.
The Coyotes would win it in the seventh, as Hannah Johnson walked and Nikki Shumway reached on an error on a sacrifice bunt. One out later, Dani Villyard doubled into the gap, tying the score at 5-5. With two outs and the bases loaded, Kalie Kurdy took a 3-2 pitch high for the walk-off walk.
Chelsey Anderson had a pair of hits for NNU, while Villyard notched two RBI and Kristen Haugen had two hits for the Coyotes.
Game 2 was a slugfest, as the Yotes took a 3-0 lead in the third on a three-run homer by Villyard. However, NNU came right back, as Kristin Refsland smashed a three-run shot of her own in the fourth, tying the score. Villyard would strike again in the fifth, launching a two-run home run, giving The C of I the lead back at 5-3, but NNU got a Cara Duckworth sacrifice fly and a Haley Hevern run-scoring single to tie the game again in the sixth.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, pinch hitter Megan Taylor singled, with Shumway following with a long two-run homer, putting the Coyotes back on top, 7-5.
NNU would have the final magic, loading the bases in the seventh with one out, thanks to a single and a pair of walks. Chao provided the big blow, blasting a long grand slam homer to left, salvaging the win for the Crusaders.
Hevern, Refsland, and Chao each had two hits for NNU, while Villyard went 2-for-4 with five RBI in the loss for the Lady Yotes.
The C of I returns to action on Thursday, returning to conference play with a twinbill at Eastern Oregon.