Nick Muncy steals home in C of I loss to Point Loma Nazarene
ANTHEM, Ariz. - The College of Idaho split a pair of games on Day 2 of the NAIA Desert Classic, losing a tough 9-8 decision to Point Loma Nazarene, but rebounding for a big 11-3 win over No. 17 Fresno Pacific.
Tanner Hodges had four hits in the twinbill for the Yotes (2-1), with Jarel Lewis and Todd Griffiths each recording a trio of safties.
The opener saw the Yotes use a Lewis two-run homer in the first to take the lead, using a pair of errors in the middle innings to score four runs, extending the lead to 7-2. However, the Sea Lions (3-2), the 2010 NAIA World Series runners-up, got a three-run double from Clinton Harwick to tie the game at 7-7. The C of I would retake the lead in the eighth on an errant pick off move to first base, allowing Nick Muncy to score, but PLNU tied the game in the eighth, with Trey Hunt singling home the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth.
Josh Dexheimer got the win for PLNU, tossing three hitless innings, with Harwick going 3-for-4 with four RBI. Lewis had the lone multi-hit game for the Yotes, going 2-for-5. C of I starter Zachary Fabricius lasted four and two-thirds, allowing four runs on seven hits.
Game 2 saw the Yotes use a six-run fourth inning to blow open a close game, as The C of I upended the nationally-ranked Sunbirds (2-1). Hodges, Fabricius, and Jesse Dodd all had RBI singles in the big inning, with Tyler Andazola providing the big blow, a three-run homer to left field.
It was enough for Joshua Orr, who gutted through command issues to pick up with win. Orr tossed five innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, walking seven, but striking out seven. Michael Garza tossed three shutout innings of relief for the Yotes, with Griffiths going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and Hodges 3-for-4 with two runs scored for The C of I.
FPU stranded 15 runners in the loss, with Karlan Andrews, Steven Lozier, Alec Mehrten, and Michael Vaughn all recording two hits.
The C of I closes out the tournament tomorrow morning with a 10:30 a.m. (PT) meeting with No. 11 Lewis-Clark State. The game can be heard live on the internet at http://www.koze-sports.com.