Cardinals Get Their Revenge

College baseball

So often baseball games like Saturday’s have resulted in misery for North Idaho College in this season and many previous.

So many times it has been Treasure Valley torturing NIC in the final weekend series of the regular season.

This time, NIC came through. The Cardinals parlayed Sean Boesch’s bulldog pitching, Nate Lynch’s sparkling catch and a bit of good fortune into a 2-1 victory over the Chukars.

The win gave NIC (16-18 over-all, 7-11 league) a series sweep and vaulted the Cardinals into the Region 18 Tournament for the first time since 1988. NIC, third in Region 18 North, will face tourney host Dixie, the No. 1 seed in the South, on Thursday night in St. George, Utah.

Treasure Valley, needing only one win in the three-game set to lock up a regional berth, ended 19-34, 6-12.

“The kids just came out and fought and got it done,” said coach Jack Bloxom, who previously announced his retirement at season’s end.

Prior to the game, Bloxom threw the ceremonial first pitch. Boesch threw the rest for NIC, but there was one he probably wanted back in the ninth inning.

It collided with the bat of Treasure Valley’s Tracy Bratcher and soared toward the fence in left field. Lynch retreated and made a fully-extended catch as he crashed into the chain link near the 355-foot sign.

“I thought it was out and maybe it is if the wind isn’t blowing (in),” Bloxom said. “I thought ‘No, no, no, well maybe,”’ Boesch said. “It was a heck of a catch.”

Lynch’s grab preserved a 2-1 lead NIC had built without the benefit of a hit.

In the first, Matt Nelson walked, swiped second base and moved to third on Al Bevacqua’s groundout. Nelson scored when Chukars’ third baseman Luke Hays misplayed a chopper down the line.

Treasure tied the score in the fifth, but NIC answered in the bottom of the inning. Jason Bay coaxed a two-out walk, stole second and moved around on two wild pitches.

NIC had only two hits off Treasure’s Rick Bauer, who was roughed up in Friday’s opener. Bauer, who walked seven, has lost three 2-1 decisions in league.

“He gave us everything he had,” Chukars’ coach Gary Van Tol said. “They had all the pressure on them having to win three. They earned it. They deserve to go (to regionals).”

Boesch permitted seven singles, one courtesy of Mark Miller, who slipped rounding first on a gapper in the sixth inning. Miller eventually got to second base on a wild pitch, but Boesch got Bratcher on a called strike three to end the inning.

Boesch picked off a runner in the seventh and fanned Josh Dolton to end the eighth.

“I asked (catcher Chris) Pendell what he thought after the seventh or eighth,” Bloxom said, “He said Sean’s location was better than any time before.”

Boesch recorded the final out on a grounder to Bevacqua at second and the Cards raced out to celebrate.

“It’s nice,” Bloxom said, “it’s nice for the kids.”

North Idaho 2, Treasure Valley 1

TVCC 000 010 000 - 1 7 1

North Idaho 100 010 00X - 2 2 3

Bauer and Moorhouse; Boesch and Pendell. W - Boesch (3-1). L - Bauer (3-7).

HITS: Treasure Valley - Lowe, Hays, Stroschein, Miller, Price, Dolton, Bratcher. North Idaho - Bay, Lynch.

St. Mary’s 11-2, Gonzaga 2-11

Troy Stoppa scattered five hits and Bryan Hunt’s bases-loaded triple highlighted a five-run first as the visiting Bulldogs (17-30-1, 5-18) salvaged a West Coast Conference split with the Gaels (19-31, 10-13) at Moraga, Calif.

Stoppa struck out four and allowed one earned run. Donnie Murrell added a two-run homer in the eighth for the Zags, and Jason Uberuaga drove in three runs with two singles.

Gonzaga 001 100 0 - 2 3 1

St. Mary’s 051 104 x - 11 13 1

Workman, Newton (3) and Canny; Fregi and Waugh. W-Fregi (2-6). L-Workman (0-3).

HITS: Gonzaga-Hare, Knight, Miller. St. Mary’s-Donohue 2, Hurlbut, Fisher, Hebert, Graff, Nichols, Fuller 2, Waugh 3, Snow. 2B-Hurlbut, Fisher, Hebert, Fuller. HR-Knight, Nichols (4).

Gonzaga 501 000 221 - 11 10 4

St. Mary’s 000 000 200 - 2 5 1

Stoppa and Hare; Morgan-Voyce, Siegel (1), Droz (6). W-Stoppa (5-3). L-Morgan-Voyce (3-4).

HITS: Gonzaga-Canny, Murrell, Hare 2, Uberuaga 3, Knight 2, Hunt. St. Mary’s-Donohue 2, Callen, Graff, Fuller. 2B-Callen. 3B-Hunt. HR-Murrell (9).

, DataTimes