After losing 9-0 in the first game, the North Idaho College softball team beat the fourth-ranked Salt Lake Community College Bruins 2-1 in the second game of a Scenic West Athletic Conference doubleheader March 30 at Memorial Field.
“We needed a win,” said NIC head coach Don Don Williams. “We needed a good, solid win against a good program.”
NIC first baseman Kelsey LaVaute singled to left field in the bottom of the second inning and advanced to second base on an error committed by the left fielder.
The next batter, Desirae Tinoco, hit a dribbler to the right side of the Bruin infield that scored LaVaute after a Salt Lake fielder overthrew the first baseman. Tinoco reached second on the error.
“It was just about attacking,” Tinoco said. “Right now we know how they pitch. It’s all about going in there, believing in yourself and taking your hacks.”
A couple batters later Kellsi Parson knocked an RBI single to left-center field, scoring Tinoco from third.
“After we scored those two runs I told my defense, especially my infield, I said we got to play clean to win this game and they did,” Williams said. “I knew we couldn’t make any mistakes or they would take advantage of them so I’m just glad that we performed defensively and Emily (Perlich) came out strong for the last five innings.”
Salt Lake got on the scoreboard in the fourth when Lyndsey Healey drilled an RBI double down the left field line.
Healey advanced too far off the bag at second on a fly ball to Tori Schuler in right field later in the inning and was thrown out by Schuler for the double play.
Salt Lake threatened to score in the fifth but stranded two runners in scoring position.
Perlich and the Cardinals escaped another potential scoring threat in the sixth. Tanisha Anderson grounded out to third base with the bases loaded to end the inning and Perlich shut the Bruins down in the seventh inning.
The Cardinals handed Salt Lake their second conference loss of the season.
“It’s huge because it makes a statement that we are good,” Perlich said. “People underestimate us all the time so if we can beat them, we can beat anybody.”