Csi Sweeps Nic, Breaks Tie For 1st

Ian Ormsby’s two-run home run over the left field fence in the bottom of the eighth inning erased a one-run North Idaho College lead and propelled the College of Southern Idaho to a 5-4 win Friday in the opener of a Region 18 North Division baseball doubleheader in Twin Falls, Idaho.

The Eagles completed the sweep with a 6-4 victory in the nightcap.

NIC falls to 7-7 in conference play and out of a first-place tie with CSI, who improved to 9-5.

Tristan Fike went 4-for-4 and scored twice to lead the Cardinals in the first game. Jason Bowles pitched well, but the Cardinals were unable to capitalize on many of their 13 hits.

In the nightcap, a two-run error in the sixth inning by pitcher Mark Nelson cost him two runs and the game. NIC trailed 4-3 at the time.

Track and field

Coeur d’Alene native Corissa Yasen of Purdue beat two-time defending champion Denise Steenstra to win the Drake Relays heptathlon Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa, with 5,326 points to firstday leader Steenstra’s 5,225.

Friday, Yasen repeated as high jump champion in the meet with a height of 6-feet, 1 1/2 inches.

Yasen, the former CdA Viking standout, set her career best in the seven-event heptathlon.

A junior at the West Lafayette, Ind., school, Yasen trailed Steenstra by 140 points after five events before taking the lead with a personal best of 141-6 in the javelin. That was almost 36 feet farther than Steenstra and left Yasen 11 points ahead going into the final event, the 800.

All Yasen had to do was beat Steenstra, and she did so easily, winning it in 2:16.90. Steenstra was second in 2:23.52.

“I finally put it all together in the javelin,” Yasen said. “I just fed off that for the 800.”

Yasen has qualified provisionally for the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon.

Prep softball

Kym Morrison scattered 11 hits and struck out a pair to lead Post Falls to a 6-3 second-game victory and a split of an Inland Empire League doubleheader Friday with Lake City.

The Timberwolves won the opener 11-1 behind an eight-strikeout, three-hit pitching performance by Kelly Nelson.

In the second game, the Trojans used a three-run, third-inning rally behind runscoring singles by Brittany Murphy, Sarah Atkinson and Elizabeth Twidt to take a 3-1 lead.

Laura Tolzman collected five hits in the two games and drove in a run for the Timberwolves.

The split leaves the Trojans 5-3 in league and 5-7 overall.

Volleyball

Though he hasn’t put it in writing, Bret Taylor said Friday he plans to resign as North Idaho College coach.

“I need to spend more time with my kids,” said Taylor, who has a 14-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son. “It’s a real crucial age for my kids. They need their father around more.”

Taylor enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in his nine-year career last fall. The Cardinals finished 35-19 overall and tied for third place in the Region 18 Tournament.

Taylor cites a first-ever conference win over Ricks College and an early season tournament win over eventual national champion College of Southern Idaho as high achievements.

Taylor, 36, hopes that assistant coach John Jensen or former NIC and Eastern Washington player Carly (Killen) Curtis will be considered as replacements.

Most of NIC’s top players also leave. All-region selection Hannah Bradford (outside hitter) of Spokane and Beth Palmer (setter/hitter) of Post Falls will continue their careers at Seattle Pacific. Hitter Alli Wright of Spokane is going to Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont., and Michelle Greenwood, a twosport athlete, is considering scholarships to play basketball.

Taylor took over a program that was a step above recreational and took it to a much more competitive level.