Gavin Gamboa went 3-for-4 with three RBI in win over UBC
ATHERTON, Calif. - The College of Idaho survived a pair of elimination games at the NAIA West Tournament at Cartan Field, defeated Simpson, 1-0, and stopping British Columbia, 6-2, forcing a winner-take-all title game on Saturday.
The Coyotes (33-20) will meet UBC for the third time in the tourney and the 11th time this season – with the winner of the 4 p.m. (MT) contest earning an automatic berth to the Opening Round of the NAIA National Tournament. The game can be heard live online at http://www.pennatlantic.com.
The opener was dominated by senior Levi Mitchum, as the right-hander tossed a five-hit shutout, fanning a career-high 12 batters, in the win.
After stranding runners in scoring position in four of the first six innings, the Yotes finally got on the scoreboard in the seventh, as Jeffrey Harris was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on an Izaac Garsez single.
The Redhawks (15-28) would have chances late – as Kris Warner was thrown out by Harris trying to go from first-to-third on a single to end the eighth, then stranded a runner at second in the ninth, when Mitchum punched out Garrett Barnett to end the game.
Jesse Dodd went 3-for-4 in the win for the Yotes, with Garsez going 2-for-3. Mitchum’s 12 strikeouts were the most by a C of I pitcher since Jason Roach struck out 13 against Northwest Nazarene in 2006. Daveron Ross and Graig Lonergan each had two hits for Simpson.
Game 2 of the day saw the Coyotes take a 1-0 lead in the second on a Gavin Gamboa RBI single, pushing the margin to 2-0 in the third on a solo homer by Kyle Douglas. After UBC (28-15) got within a run on an Andrew Firth long ball in the third, Gamboa answered for The C of I with his second homer of the year, giving the Yotes a 3-1 edge.
In the fifth, Douglas doubled home a run and Tanner Hodges made it 5-1 with a sacrifice fly, before the T-Birds got a sacrifice fly by Adam Quan in the bottom of the frame.
However, UBC was stymied the rest of the way by the resilient Bobby Wassmann, who pitching just 48 hours after an eight inning stint vs. Patten, tossed the final four-plus innings, allowing just two hits and striking out four, to pick up the win.
The Yotes would get two insurance runs – an RBI single from Harris in the sixth and an RBI double by Gamboa in the eighth, to cap the scoring.
Gamboa went 3-for-4 with three RBI, with Douglas going 2-for-5 with two RBI in the win, while Firth and Andrew Madsen each had two hits for the T-Birds.
Levi Mitchum tossed a complete game five-hitter, striking out a career high 12, as The College of Idaho eliminated Simpson University, 1-0, at the NAIA West Tournament in Atherton, Calif.
With the win, the Coyotes (32-20) will face British Columbia at 4 p.m. (MT) – needing to win the game to force a second championship game with UBC in the double-elimination tournament, with a berth to the NAIA National Tournament on the line. The game can be heard live online at http://www.pennatlantic.com.
The lone run of the game came in the seventh inning on an Izaac Garsez RBI single - his fourth game-tying or go-ahead hit of the tournament. The Redhawks (15-28) had chances late – but had a runner thrown out at third to end the eighth inning and stranded a runner at second in the ninth.
Mitchum’s 12 strikeouts were the most by a C of I pitcher since Jason Roach fanned 13 against Northwest Nazarene in 2006.
More to follow later