‘Yote Notes – March
4, 2002
GENERAL ATHLETICS NEWS:
BOOSTER DINNER SET FOR MARCH 20: The
first Coyote Athletic Association dinner to discuss the five Albertson spring
sports currently in competition will be held at 6 p.m. on March 20 in the South
Dining Room of the Simplot Dining Hall.
Information, including the dinner price, will be sent out via a mailer
this week.
SKI TEAMS SET FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE: One week
is left for the Albertson women’s alpine and cross country teams as they are
set to embark on a 3,000 mile journey to Waterville Valley, N.H., and the 2002
USCSA National Championships. Six
alpine skiers and a pair of cross country skiers will make up the Coyote
contingent at the championships.
INTRAMURALS TO PLAY CHARITY GAME
AT NORTHWEST NAZARENE: The first Red vs.
Purple Intramural Basketball game between
Northwest Nazarene and Albertson will be held March 11 in Montgomery Fieldhouse
on the NNU campus. Proceeds from the event will go to charity, with the
'Yotes playing for the Caldwell Head Start Program. Tip-off is scheduled
for 7 p.m. and tickets can be purchased for $1.00 in the McCain Center or at
the door.
BASKETBALL RECAPS NEXT WEEK: A review
of the men’s and women’s basketball 2001-02 seasons will be incorporated into
next week’s ‘Yote Notes. Record
breakers, top-tens, along with how the Cascade Conference fared at the National
Tournament will be included.
BASEBALL: 6-5-1
LAST WEEK: At Banana Belt Tournament –
defeated British Columbia (10-7), lost to Lewis-Clark State (6-5), lost to
Whitworth (4-1), defeated Lewis-Clark State (10-6)
THIS WEEK: at Northwest Nazarene (DH),
Friday, 4 p.m.; host Whitworth (DH), Sunday, 9:30 a.m.
‘YOTES WIN BANANA BELT TITLE: It
wasn’t until Sunday afternoon before the Albertson baseball team even knew it
would be playing for the championship of the 2002 Banana Belt Tournament in
Lewiston, Idaho – but once locked into the game with No. 1 ranked Lewis-Clark
State, in was all Coyotes. Albertson
defeated the Warriors, 10-6, to claim the trophy in the hosts home park, and
stake their first victory over LCSC in three games this season. The ‘Yotes jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the
fourth inning. Albertson scored four runs in the third, thanks to three
consecutive two-out singles. Patrick Gonzalez (Ontario, Calif. / Riverside CC)
had the big blow, with a two-run single down the right field line. They added two more in the fourth, one on a
squeeze bunt from Todd Howell (Marysville,
Wash. / Skagit Valley CC), and another on a Darren Uranga (Homedale, Idaho / Homedale HS) single,
one of his three hits on the night.
After LCSC closed the gap to 7-6 in the seventh, Uranga finished off the
Warriors with a two-run double in the eighth, and Eric Jensen (Mountain
Home, Idaho / Mountain Home HS) closed the game out for the win.
ONLY THE BEGINNING AGAINST
LC-STATE: The perennial top two teams in the NAIA Region I
have already met three times this season, and amazingly, have five more regular
season games on the docket. Albertson
will play the Warriors at the British Columbia Tournament in two weeks, the
face LCSC in a four game set in April, with two games in Lewiston, one in
Boise, and one in Caldwell.
OTHER TOURNAMENT GAMES:
Albertson 10, British Columbia 7: The
‘Yotes did not have to face top-prospect Jeff Francis, and four late inning
runs proved to be the difference. UBC
committed six errors in the game, including three in the final two innings,
allowing Albertson to come back from a 7-6 deficit. Patrick Gonzalez went 3-for-4, Dustin Garcia (Reno,
Nev. / Feather River CC) had a 2-for-3 afternoon, and Scott Skeen (Bend, Ore. / Oregon State) went
2-for-3 with a triple for the Coyotes.
Eric Jensen shut down the T-Birds over the final 3 2/3 innings for his
first win of the year.
Lewis-Clark State 6, Albertson 5: Late
inning heroics could not help the Coyotes go 0-3 in one-run games. Managing just three hits in the first eight
innings and trailing 5-1, LCSC reliever Nick Seely opened up the ninth by
loading the bases – thanks to three straight hit batters. Scott Freeman (Boise,
Idaho / Victor Valley CC) made him pay, driving a grand slam home run
to right to tie the score. However, the
Warriors prevailed in the bottom half of the inning, as an error and double
brought home the winning run.
Whitworth 4, Albertson 1: Pirate
starter Kurt Reese struck out 12 Coyote batters in the complete game four
hitter. Only catcher D.J. Eberlin (St. Maries, Idaho / St. Maries HS) managed
a multiple-hit game against the Bucs thrower, going 2-for-3. Chris Empio (Medford,
Ore. / South Medford HS) took his first loss of the season, although
the sophomore gave up just two earned runs in five innings. Andrew Hall (Eagle,
Idaho / Eagle HS) was again impressive in relief, throwing four
scoreless innings, allowing just three hits.
HOW THEY GOT TO TITLE GAME: Checking
out of the hotel on Sunday, the Coyotes weren’t sure when they would take the
field, let alone get back to Caldwell.
After watching British Columbia defeat Whitworth 12-9, LC-State remained
the only undefeated team in the tournament, with the other three teams tied at
1-2. Albertson advanced to the
championship game due to run differential, as the Coyotes had been outscored by
one run in three games, UBC by two runs, and Whitworth by 15.
BRUISED AND BATTERED: Injuries
dinged up the Coyotes this weekend in the Clearwater Valley. Todd Howell was limited to hitting duty with
an injured shoulder, with fellow infielder Trey Reid (Boise,
Idaho / Capital HS) missing action with a jammed finger. Scott Freeman had to miss action on Saturday
after taking a pitch off the elbow, sending pitcher Nick Williams (Poulsbo,
Wash. / Lower Columbia CC) into spot duty at first base. With the injuries, Darren Uranga moved to
third base, and Dustin Garcia, the everyday centerfielder, moved to second
base.
HOME COOKIN: After 12
games away from the Treasure Valley, local fans will finally get their first
glimpse of the Coyotes this week.
Friday night in Nampa, the team takes on Northwest Nazarene (4-4) in
the first two of six games against the Crusaders this season. NNU, which has won just eight games in 86
meetings with Albertson, is much improved this season (took 3-of-4 from Saint
Martin’s this weekend), thanks in part to former Coyote player and second-year
head coach Tim Onofrei. The key for the
Crusaders is pitching, after having an 8.05 team ERA last season. John Rosti is the power for NNU, clubbing a
team-high nine homers in 2001. Sunday
morning is the ‘Yotes home opener, hosting Whitworth College (3-8). The Pirates, outside of the brilliant
pitching performance against Albertson this weekend, were shelled in Lewiston,
giving up 49 runs in their other three games.
The Coyotes have won 13 of the previous 21 games with Whitworth.
ON THE AIR AND INTERNET: The
first game of the Northwest Nazarene doubleheader will be carried on 1140-KGEM
with NNU broadcaster George Dashiell calling the action. The second game of the twinbill, along with
both games Sunday, will be carried on the internet via the Albertson College
website. Fans will be able to access
the second NNU game by late Friday night (on a tape delay basis), and it is
hopeful that both Whitworth games will be carried live on Sunday morning. Access the games on the baseball homepage,
and click on internet broadcasts.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: For updated information and
statistics, visit the official website of the Coyote baseball team at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/baseball.htm
SOFTBALL: 2-14
LAST WEEK: At
Central Washington Invitational, Richland, Wash. – Defeated Northwest Nazarene (7-5), lost to Simon Fraser (14-0),
lost to Linfield (2-1), lost to Seattle (6-3), defeated Pacific (9-6), lost to
Western Oregon (11-0).
THIS WEEK: at Northwest Nazarene (Skyview
HS), Wednesday, 3 p.m.; at Eastern Oregon, Saturday, 2 p.m.
CROOKED
NUMBERS IN THE WIN COLUMN: After playing stiff competition in California, the Central Washington
Invitational gave the Coyote softball team what it needed – a blend of talented
and unpolished teams to battle during the weekend. When the dust settled, Albertson went 2-4 over the weekend,
picking up wins against Northwest Nazarene and Pacific, and coming mighty close
to upsetting Linfield and Seattle.
Albertson
7, Northwest Nazarene 5 - The first-ever meeting between the Canyon County rivals proved to be
the first-ever win in Coyote history.
Both Heather Keepers (Apache Junction, Ariz. / Apache Junction
HS) and Heather McClure (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) broke
out of season opening slumps in a big way.
Keepers, who was 0-for-22 coming into the game, went 3-for-4 with three
RBI, including a two-out, two-run double in the second inning, as Albertson
built a 4-0 lead. McClure, who was
hitless in 12 plate appearances, went 4-for-4 on the afternoon. Hurler Nicole Glenn (Nyssa, Ore. /
BYU-Idaho) picked up the complete game win, striking out six batters.
Linfield 2, Albertson 1 – The Lady
‘Yotes took a 1-0 lead in the third inning as Kira Leaton (Boise,
Idaho / Centennial HS) doubled, and scored on a Wildcat error. However, two runs in the bottom of the fifth
was enough for Linfield to pull out the win.
Nicole Glenn gave up just five hits and struck out six in the losing
effort.
Seattle 6, Albertson 3 – An ugly
game to watch for spectators of both teams, the Redhawks and Coyotes combined
for 13 errors and nine unearned runs.
Trailing 4-0, the Lady ‘Yotes forced three Seattle errors in the fourth
inning to cut the lead to 4-3, but that was as close as they would get.
Albertson 9, Pacific 6 – A big
afternoon from catcher Tiffany Mathews (Las Vegas, Nev. / Eldorado
HS) saw the ‘Yotes finish pool play 2-3.
Albertson scored in each of the first five innings, as Mathews went
2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBI.
The victory was against a Pacific team that won a Northwest Conference
championship in 1998.
Western Oregon 11, Albertson 0 – The
third 9 a.m. game for the Coyotes was their last, as the Wolves dominated the
five-inning affair. A big seven-run
third inning paved the way for Western, and eliminated Albertson from the
tournament. Kira Leaton had the only
hit for the Lady ‘Yotes.
IMPROVEMENT IN THE CIRCLE: It was a
good weekend for No. 1 starter Nicole Glenn.
The junior transfer saw action in five of the six games, and gave up
just five earned runs in over 20 innings of work. Her ERA dropped from a paltry 6.24 to a respectable 4.03 at the
tournament.
ACTION CLOSER TO HOME: The softball squad will
be making its debut in the Treasure Valley, although the home opener is still
two weeks away. Wednesday, the Coyotes
will travel to Northwest Nazarene (1-4) at Skyview High School for a
twinbill. NNU got their first-ever win on
Saturday, stopping Pacific 5-3. The
match-up should be an interesting one, pitting the two first-year programs from
Canyon County. Saturday, Albertson
heads up I-84 to meet Eastern Oregon (2-0) for the first time. The Mountaineers opened up the 2002 season
by sweeping Lewis & Clark in Portland last weekend. Eastern, which finished last season at .500,
hopes to return to the prominence of 1999 and 2000, when the squad earned trips
to the NAIA College World Series.
INTERNET BROADCASTS: The Albertson athletic department
is planning on broadcasting all softball home games on the internet. Along with the home games, this week’s
doubleheader at Northwest Nazarene will be carried on a tape-delay basis on the
Albertson softball website. Sports
information director Mike Safford Jr., who has called action at the 1997 NAIA
Women’s College World Series, and games at the NCAA Division III West Regional
tournament the past three years, will handle the play-by-play.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: Updated
information and statistics on the 2002 softball team can be found at the
Albertson softball official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/softball/index.htm
LAST
WEEK: Lost 7-2 at
George Fox, Defeated Pacific 5-4
THIS
WEEK: At
Lewis-Clark State Challenge, Friday and Saturday – play dual matches with
Seattle, Southern Oregon, Alberta, and Lewis-Clark State
YOUNG
COYOTES GET SEASON OPENING SPLIT: With Northwest Nazarene and Evergreen dropping their
women’s tennis programs, and the NCAA Division III limitations on matches, it
is a tough go for Cisco Limbago and his Albertson squad to find
matches. The team did open the 2002
campaign in the Willamette Valley last weekend, defeating Pacific University,
and falling at George Fox. In all,
Albertson will play seven regular-season matches against four-year
institutions, and five matches against community colleges, before the NAIA
Region I tournament in late April.
RINALDI
STELLAR: The lone
senior on this year’s squad, Catherine Rinaldi (Perth, Australia),
got off to an outstanding start, winning both of her singles and doubles
matches. Rinaldi, ranked No. 32 in the
ITA-NAIA singles ladder, dispatched Josie Vu of Pacific 6-0, 6-0, and stopped
Lisa Trefts of George Fox 6-2, 6-2. She
teamed with sophomore Lauren Writer (Boise, Idaho) to win both
No. 1 doubles matches, losing just three games along the way.
YOUTH
INITIATIVE: If
there ever was a rebuilding year for the women’s tennis program, this would be
the year. After last season’s runner-up
finish at the NAIA Region I tournament, Limbago must replace the majority of
his ladder – gone is his everyday No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 singles players. Writer has moved up from No. 5 to No. 2 with
success, splitting matches last weekend, but the remainder of the line-up, the
portion that wins team points, will be new.
Junior Alana Hansen (Boise, Idaho) and sophomore Carley
Williams (Boise, Idaho) return, but three freshmen and five
sophomores will have to fill the shoes.
THE
REGION: Once
again, Lewis-Clark State is the class of the Northwest, ranked No. 11 in the
ITA-NAIA preseason poll. In the group
behind the Warriors is the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary,
Southern Oregon, Seattle University, and the Coyotes.
OFFICIAL
WEBSITE: Updated
information and statistics on the 2002 women’s tennis team can be found on the
official website of Albertson tennis – www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wtennis.htm