HENDERSON, Nev. - The College of Southern Idaho Baseball team fell to Colorado Northwestern 7-6 in its opening game of the Region 18 Tournament before bouncing back to beat USU Eastern 11-4 to stay alive Wednesday.
The Golden Eagles trailed early against CNCC but a three-run seventh pulled them into a 6-6 tie. With one out, Cole Walters singled to start the rally. Mason Hayes reached on a fielding error before Blake Sanchez loaded the bases on a single to left field. The Golden Eagles scored their first run of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Trevor Lippard. Then Quentin Marcelin doubled to score two more and tie the game.
But CNCC answered with a walk-off rbi single in the bottom of the ninth to advance in the winner's bracket of the tournament.
Marcelin finished the game 2-for-4, while Walters and Sanchez were each 2-for-5 at the plate.
CSI then faced a loser-out contest with USU Eastern late Wednesday.
The Golden Eagles scored runs in the second and fifth inning but broke the game open late adding five runs in the seventh and four runs in the eighth.
CSI posted six hits in the inning highlighted by a 3-RBI home run down the right field line by Jackson Kunz.
USU Eastern answered with four runs in the top of the eighth but CSI left no doubt adding the four runs in the bottom of the inning.
Braydon Torres-Moore walked to lead off the inning. After a CSI strike out, Walters singled. Kunz then came through again with an rbi single. Marcelin followed with a RBI double and Kunz scored on a throwing error from center field forcing a pitching change. Hayes brought in the fourth run of the inning on a base hit.
Kunz ended the game 2-for-4 with four RBI while Hayes was 5-for-5. Ryan Beard earned the win in the circle going 9.0 innings and giving up just two hits and one earned run with 11 strikeouts.
CSI will play in a loser-out game at 7 p.m. (8 p.m. MST) Thursday. The opponent is yet to be determined.