Bobby Wassmann pitched seven strong innings in Yotes win over Huntington
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - College of Idaho pitching worked around 15 Huntington University hits, claiming a 4-2 elimination game victory this morning at the NAIA Baseball National Tournament Group 2 site at Totman Stadium.
With the win, the No. 15 ranked Coyotes (38-15) ended a season-high three-game losing streak and advanced to this afternoon’s elimination game against Vanguard University at 4 p.m. (MT)
The Foresters (31-22) had chances in every inning, stranding two men in scoring position in the first and the bases loaded in the third. Their best opportunity was in the eighth, as HU had runners and second and third with one out. However, Mitch Dame came on in relief and got Eric Schultz to strike out and induced an inning-ending ground out by Ryan Shell.
“We were wanting to save Mitch for this afternoon,” said Coyote skipper Shawn Humberger. “But we have to win this game to have an opportunity to play again and he came in and threw like he has all season long.”
HU had a chance in the ninth, as Andrew Drummond walked, but Travis Frantz rolled into a double play. After a bad-hop single to Eric Harping, Justin Branock lined a ball to the wall in right, with Tyler Andazola making a leaping catch to end the game.
The Yotes got on the board in the third as Izaac Garsez roped a two-out triple, followed by a Diego Robles run-scoring single. An inning later, Jared Arehart led off with a double, scoring on a Jye Lanphere sacrifice fly.
The Foresters got a run back on Drummond’s ninth homer of the year, but the Yotes responded with two in the sixth on key two-out RBI singles from Ray Santiago and Jordan Lanman. Harping closed the scoring with a solo homer in the seventh.
Bobby Wassmann got the win for the Coyotes, tossing seven innings of two-run ball, working around ten singles and the two home runs. “I had a lot of movement on my pitches today,” said the junior from Puyallup, Wash. “This warm weather down here has done wonders to my arm.”
Garsez, Robles, Arehart, and Santiago each had two hits for The C of I. Drummond, Harping, and Jarod Hammel each had three hits for the Foresters.