CALDWELL, Idaho – In the fifth and final tilt between the Saints and the Yotes, Micah McNicoll delivered a four hit game, highlighted by his two-run home, as the Saints crushed their way to an 11-5 victory.
 
Saint Martin's quickly struck, opening the game with four runs in the first frame, coming on four RBI singles. McNicoll's slam came in the second to put SMU up 6-1. College of Idaho managed to cut the score to 6-5 after the third inning; however, Saint Martin's poured on five more runs in the next three innings to cruise to the victory. The bullpen for the Saints pitched six shutout innings, allowing only three hits and struck out six Yotes to secure the series deciding game.
 
"We had a lot of different guys step up today," said head coach Kelly Gau. "Today was the closest we've been to playing a complete game in all phases. Our offense clicked thanks to getting runners on, executing short game, and getting clutch hits. Aaron and Micah were great at the plate both delivering timely run producing hits. We knew game five would be tough from a pitching standpoint, but our starters going deep into games the last two days made today manageable. Zach and Garrison were able to keep things close to allow our offense to add on. Robbie was lights out and delivered in a big way. We're excited to use this weekend as momentum heading into conference play."
 
McNicoll put the Saints on the board first with an RBI single up the middle, bringing home Isaac Hegamin. McNicoll later came around to score on the RBI single from Aaron Renaud to right field. Cody Chavis and Colton Peha added the third and fourth runs of the inning with their RBI singles to corners of the outfield.
 
College of Idaho added a run back in the bottom of the first before McNicoll connected on his first home run of the season. The two run blast to left brought home Hegamin once again, and the Saints' lead had grown to 6-1.
 
The Yotes were down but not out, managing to cut into the lead with a three run bottom of the second. After a quiet top of the third for SMU, the Yotes added another run on a wild pitch and now were within one run after three innings.
 
Saint Martin's shut down the comeback with their bats and bullpen arms. Renaud added two more runs in the fourth on his single through the left side. In the fifth, McNicoll picked up his fourth RBI of the game with an infield single. The final blow came in the sixth inning when Chavis and Hunter Holmason drove in two final runs and it was more than enough for the bullpen.
 
Garrison Ritter (1-0) was the first reliever used, and he went three innings, allowing only two hits and earned his first victory of the season. Robbie Shineman added another three innings of work, silencing the Yotes' bats to only one hit and punched out four hitters. Ryan Dorney came in to close out the ninth inning with two more strikeouts, and Saint Martin's clinched the series with an 11-6 victory.
 
The series marks the final game of the non-conference season for SMU, as they begin GNAC play with a four-game series at Central Washington. The first doubleheader is set to begin on March 2 at 12:00 p.m.