Cardinals Find Themselves Bevacqua’s Homer Lifts Nic To Victory

Now, that’s more like it.

On the heels of a 30-23 (!) loss to Olympic on Sunday, North Idaho College played its best game of the young baseball season Tuesday and shaded Walla Walla Community College 6-5.

“That was a heck of a lot more fun than Sunday,” said second baseman Al Bevacqua, who stroked four hits, including a long homer that snapped a 5-5 tie in the sixth inning. “That was probably the hardest ball I’ve hit in my life.”

The Cardinals’ turnaround comes at an opportune time. NIC (9-6) enters Region 18 play with a four-game road set against Treasure Valley Friday through Sunday.

“That was just what we needed,” first-year coach Paul Manzardo said. “We pitched pretty well, hit it a little bit, and our infield played really solid.”

The latter was probably the most welcome sight for Manzardo. NIC’s gloves have been suspect, including 12 errors on Sunday, but the Cardinals were clean defensively except for one early miscue.

“We have to play that way in league,” Manzardo said.

NIC’s hitting, meanwhile, is downright scary. Those cars parked on the dike road behind the outfield fences are well within range of NIC batters. The Cards have slugged 29 homers - 11 away from the school record - in just 15 games.

Three more balls left the diamond Tuesday, including a pair from shortstop Jeremy Isherwood. His first was a two-run line-drive to left that pushed NIC on top 3-0.

Isherwood appeared to be slightly fooled on his second homer, which nonetheless sailed over the left-center-field wall. “He was way out in front,” Manzardo chuckled.

Walla Walla (3-5) touched NIC pitchers David Caron and Jeremy Thomas for five runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 5-4 lead.

NIC tied it on Mike Dorame’s clutch two-out, RBI single in the fifth, and moved in front to stay when Bevacqua’s homer landed on the dike road.

Five pitchers worked for NIC, allowing nine hits. Jason Holdahl, of St. Maries, pitched the final two innings to earn the save.

The only area of concern that emerged was NIC’s inability to advance runners in the absence of base hits. The Cards twice failed to get bunts down.

“We’ve gotta get better at that,” Manzardo said. “We’ll work on the small-ball stuff. But overall, that’s our best game so far.”

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