CALDWELL, Idaho - The College of Idaho set a school record with 11 stolen bases and Taylor Nicholson tossed eight innings of three-hit shutout ball in the late game, as the Yotes split an NAIA West doubleheader with Simpson University at Wolfe Field.
The Redhawks (10-10, 1-3) picked up their first-ever win over the Coyotes in Game 1 by a 9-4 margin, with The C of I winning Game 2, 9-1.
SU scored in each of the first four innings of the opener to take a 5-0 lead as Daveron Ross lined an RBI single in the first, Josh Corson lined a two-out, two-run single in the second, Chad Alton doubled in a run in the third, and Angel Marti stole home in the fourth after a rundown on a sacrifice bunt.
The Yotes (16-5, 3-1) would get back in the game in the middle innings, as RBI singles from Tanner Hodges and Cameron Packham in the fourth got The C of I on the board, with a Todd Griffiths RBI single in the fifth cutting the margin to 5-3. The Coyotes would squander an opportunity in the seventh, loading the bases with one out, but Josh Yachinich struck out Hodges and got Jesse Dodd to ground out to end the threat.
Simpson blew the game open in the eighth, stringing together five hits, including a two-out, two-run double from Garrett Barnett.
Matthew Hart went six innings, fanning seven, to get the win, with Yachinich working around three hits and five walks to notch the save. Kris Warner went 4-for-5, Ross went 3-for-4 with two RBI, and Joshua Corson knocked in three. Griffiths went 3-for-4 in the loss for the Yotes, who stranded 11 runners in the contest.
Game 2 was dominated by Nicholson, who retired 13 men in a row at one stretch – getting 15 ground ball outs in the victory. The right-hander needed just 84 pitches in his eight innings of work, striking out three, allowing just one runner in scoring position.
The Yotes got all of the runs they’d need in the first, batting around for a six-spot – using their speed to their advantage. A double-steal by Griffiths and Izaac Garsez with one out set the table for Hodges, who chopped a two-run single through the right side. After Hodges swiped second and third, Dodd singled him home to push the lead to 3-0. After Jeffrey Harris was hit in the helmet by a pitch, Packham lined an RBI single into center. A wild pitch scored Harris with the sixth run tallied on a Brett Ward sacrifice fly.
The 11 stolen bases in the win – including three by Griffiths and two each from Hodges and Dodd, eclipsed the school record of 10 set on March 31, 1998 against Northwest Nazarene.
Hodges went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, with Garsez going 2-for-4, including his third triple of the season. Corson had the lone multi-hit game for the Redhawks, going 2-for-3.
The Yotes return to action tomorrow, hosting rival Northwest Nazarene at 2 p.m.