TWIN FALLS, Idaho — An 11-strikeout performance by Western Nevada College freshman pitcher Matt Young and a ninth-inning rally weren’t enough to deliver a Scenic West Athletic Conference baseball win over College of Southern Idaho on Thursday.
Cody Jenkins hit a walk-off single with two outs in the 10th inning as the Golden Eagles edged the Wildcats, 3-2.
The 11 strikeouts were a season high for Young in his dominant nine-inning stint.
Young retired 10 in a row after Harrison Ramey’s double in the sixth inning, and the left-hander held the Golden Eagles scoreless over his final eight innings of work.
CSI starting pitcher Zack Draper, trying to beat WNC for the second time this season, gave up a leadoff single to Kody Reynolds in the ninth. A groundout by D.J. Peters to the right side of the infield enabled Reynolds to advance to second base. Tim Lichty then took an 0-2 pitch from Draper into center field, scoring Reynolds with the tying run and taking second base on the throw home. Parker Woodley then pinch ran for Lichty and went to third on Bradley Lewis’ unassisted groundout to first base. However, Austin Andrews lined out to third base to keep the score tied at 2.
The tie didn’t last long.
Pinch-hitter Dugan Shirer started the CSI 10th with a single and went to second on Lewis’ error in left field. Wildcat reliever Connor Zwetsch intentionally walked Joey Rossi to bring the force into play at any base. When Zwetsch uncorked a wild pitch to move the two base runners up 90 feet, Whittemore decided to intentionally walk Ethan Ibarra to load the bases. The strategy almost worked as Zwetsch struck out the next two Golden Eagles.
But Jenkins came through with the single to center on a 1-2 curveball to provide CSI with its 12th home win in 13 tries.
