Coyotes Win NAIA Tournament Opener in Mississippi
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Trystin Crofts went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and three RBI, including the go-ahead 2-run double in a fifth inning rally that lifted The College of Idaho to a 4-1 victory over host William Carey in the Hattiesburg Bracket of the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round at Fail Field.
The Yotes (39-15) advance to tomorrow's winners' bracket semifinal – meeting top-seeded Vanguard (Calif.) at 10 a.m. (MT). VU topped William Woods in today's second game, 6-1.
C of I took a 1-0 lead in the third inning, as Haley Loffer lined a double to the wall in right and an out later, Crofts ripped a pitch off the left field wall to give the Coyotes the lead.
The margin would not last, as the No. 17-ranked Crusaders (36-15) answered in the fourth as a 2-out single by Macy Monk was followed by a run-scoring knock from Mary Blair Odom to even the score.
The Yotes would rally in the fifth – as Emily Aspden led off with a 4-pitch walk and an out later, Loffer reached via a free pass. With two outs, Crofts ripped a Lindsey Johnson pitch to the left-center gap, plating the pair, to give C of I a 3-1 lead. Marissa Maddox followed with a single to right, scoring Crofts to extend the lead.
Colette Robert did the rest – retiring six of the final seven batters – to earn her 22nd win of the year. The lefty surrendered just four singles, one walk and struck out six.
C of I had chances in the first two innings – but Loffer was thrown out at home following a Maddox single in the first to end the inning – while in the second, Aleah Mendiola was stranded after a 2-out double.
Maddox finished 2-for-3 with Loffer going 1-for-1 with a double, two walks and two runs scored.
Johnson struck out eight in a losing effort for WCU – who will meet William Woods tomorrow in an elimination game.
NOTES: Crofts broke a pair of single-season school records in the win, recording her 71st hit and 21st double – surpassing the hits mark set by Molly Mills (70) in 2013 and Destiny Turner's doubles mark (20), set in 2015…Loffer broke the single season runs scored record with 45, surging past the previous mark of 43, set by Mills in 2013…the win evened the all-time series with WCU at 1-1, as the Crusaders topped the Yotes in extra innings, 6-5, in a 2014 NAIA Softball World Series elimination game…C of I improved to 29-0 this season when allowing two runs or less.