7-Run 1St Inning Helps Nic Split A Twinbill

Area colleges

North Idaho College jumped on conference earned-run average leader Ryan Adams on Friday to salvage a split of a baseball doubleheader against host Utah Valley State at Orem.

Joe Bisant, Taylor West and Jeff Byrd combined for seven RBIs and 6-for-10 hitting during NIC’s 12-8 win over Adams (5-1) in the second game. NIC scored seven in the first inning and chased Adams by the third.

Casey Hoorelbeke (3-1) earned the win, scattering five hits and striking out five in five innings.

Chance Scott’s two-out RBI single in the seventh capped Utah Valley’s 6-5 win in the opener. NIC scored four in its seventh for a 5-4 lead.

West had two hits in each game.

Freshman Alberto Concepcion led off the bottom of the eighth with a homer, and Southern Cal defeated Washington State 7-6 in Pacific-10 Conference play at Los Angeles.

Concepcion homered off Matt O’Brien (5-1), washing away the WSU ace reliever’s scoreless streak of 8-1/3 innings. WSU had a four-game winning streak snapped.

The 20th-ranked Trojans (17-9, 1-0) led 4-1 after one inning. USC scored three runs after two outs, including Josh Persell’s two-run single to right off WSU starter Todd Meldahl.

Meldahl allowed no runs and just three singles for the next five innings. WSU (12-14, 2-2) rallied and took a 5-4 lead in the seventh on Steve Curran’s RBI single and a wild pitch that scored Ray Hattenburg.

Chad Soares hit a two-run homer during a five-run fifth, and Ian Perio pitched a complete game for his team-leading fifth win, as San Francisco (16-10, 3-4) defeated visiting Gonzaga 11-4 in the West Coast Conference.

USF’s Danny Trumble moved into the cleanup spot for injured Tagg Bozied and went 3 for 5, with two RBIs. Bozied has a 23-game hitting streak.

Jason Bay went 3 for 5 for the Zags (11-11, 4-4), and Kevin Hara finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

Green River collected 13 hits while edging Community Colleges of Spokane 6-5 to open the six-team Spokane Athletic Invitational at Spokane Falls CC.

Chad Keefer and Kevin Richardson had three hits apiece for CCS.

Walla Walla defeated Lane 6-1 and Chemeketa blanked Edmonds 1-0 in other openers. Today’s schedule is: CCS vs. Chemeketa, 9 a.m.; Walla Walla vs. Edmonds, noon; and Lane vs. Green River, 3 p.m.

Golf

The CCS men and women were team champions at the Walla Walla Invitational at Veteran’s Memorial Golf Course.

The Sasquatch’s Cam Fise, who shot an 11-over-par 151, tied for men’s medalist honors. Schannon Thomas of CCS tied for the women’s title, with a 169.