CALDWELL, Idaho – After the Saints' late innings rally fell short in the first game, Dakota Hill provided all three runs of support to fuel Benjamin Wadowski as the lefty tossed 7.1 innings of two run baseball to split the doubleheader, 3-6 and 3-2, against College of Idaho.
 
For the second straight day, the Saints dropped the front end of the doubleheader to Yotes, before pulling through in the second half to force a split. Luke Hare provided two shutout innings of relief in the first game, but the offense was unable to close the 6-1 deficit. Hill provided all the runs in the second game, including the eventual winning run with a double to center in the ninth inning, and Ryan Dorney (1-0) closed out the game, earning his first win of the season.
 
"Tough conditions to play in today," said head coach Kelly Gau. "Give credit to College of Idaho, they were better prepared to play in tough conditions from the get go. We were able to create enough opportunities but fell short of getting a couple big hits. Game two was fueled by another great outing from Ben. He didn't get a ton of run support but kept us in it throughout. The immediate response after giving up the lead was huge, and kudos to Micah and Dakota for being ready to attack their pitch. We're looking forward to getting on track offensively to match our pitching and our defense is performing at a very high level."
 
College of Idaho struck first and with force in the opener, scoring four runs in the third inning, starting with a two RBI single through the left side. Followed by a fielder's choice driving in the run, the Yotes' final run came on a Saints' throwing error on a stolen base attempt in the inning.
 
Ty Matsunami put the Saints on the board in the next half inning, singling to right center, and scoring Colton Peha. College of Idaho widen the gap in the bottom of the fourth with a sac-fly, before a solo shot in the fifth gave them a 6-1 lead.
 
The Saints were able to add runs in the sixth and eighth inning, coming on an RBI single from Kahi Hirano, then an RBI double from Aaron Renaud. However, College of Idaho was able to shut the door and seal the victory.
 
Clark Streby (0-2) got the start on the mound, tossing six innings, allowing six runs on 10 hits, while punching out six. Hare finished the game with two strikeouts over two innings.
 
The second game featured back-and-forth lights out pitching until the fifth inning, when Hill broke the silence. The sophomore doubled down the left field line, plating Micah McNicoll, who finished with two hits in the game, gave SMU a 1-0 lead. Hill later came around to score on a wild pitch in the inning.
 
Wadowski continued to put zeros up on the board, going seven scoreless innings to start the game. The only inning College of Idaho found some momentum was the eighth, scoring two runs, much like how the Saints scored two earlier. A double to left, followed by a wild pitch scored two runs, and the game was knotted at 2-2.
 
In the final inning, with one out, McNicoll came through with a double to right center to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. The next batter was Hill, who collected his second double of the game, this time to center to score McNicoll, and put SMU back on top 3-2.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, Dorney got the first batter to groundout before a single put the tying run on base. However, the threat did not last long, as the Saints closed out the win with the strikeout-throwout, gunning down the runner stealing second.
 
The Saints return to action against College of Idaho tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. for the deciding game in the five-game series. Live stats and video of the game will be available on smusaints.com.