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Coyotes win 9th annual Coyote Classic
By Dan Cabrera, Sports Information
Monday, Feb. 4, 2008
The top-ranked College of Southern Nevada Coyotes started off sluggish in opening the 9th annual CSN Coyote Classic on Thursday at Morse Stadium.
CSN's offense struggled to post runs on the scoreboard, but they got the big hit they needed in the bottom of the 12th inning from Braeden Schlehuber. Schlehuber smacked a triple to left-center, scoring Kyle Bostick to lift the Coyotes to a 3-2 win over Yavapai College of Prescott, Ariz.
Tyler Lavigne (1-0) picked up the victory in relief, pitching 1 2/3 innings and striking out each of the five batters he faced.
Yavapai starting pitcher Kirby Yates tossed a no-hitter through six innings against CSN before being pulled due to a high pitch count. Yates struck out 10 batters and walked two.
On Friday, the Coyotes hit their low point of the tournament by dropping a contest to Arizona Western, 4-3. The Matadors broke a scoreless tie with two runs each in the 8th and 9th innings. CSN countered with a run in the 8th and two in the 9th, but couldn't get the big hit when they needed it in this one.
In their second game of a doubleheader, the Coyotes faced defending national champion Chipola College (Fla.), who was ranked No. 3 in the nation by Baseball America. The Indians drew first blood by scoring first, but CSN wouldn't allow any more than the one run they allowed in the first inning. Colby Shreve shut down the Chipola offense, leading the Coyotes to a 5-1 victory.
A two-out rally in the fourth put CSN in front for good. A two-run single to right-center by Cody Fierro scored Robbie Garvey and Devin Shepherd to start the scoring. The Coyotes added two more runs in the fifth to provide a cushion the rest of the way.
Shreve (1-0) went six innings, striking out three and walking two. Lavigne struck out six more in 2 2/3 innings of relief to preserve the win.
CSN closed out the tournament on Saturday by defeating hot-hitting Fullerton College, 6-3. Chasen Bradford picked up the win in relief of starter Brenton Van. Schlehuber went 3-for-4 with two RBIs to lead the CSN offense. With the win, CSN finished 3-1 to win the Coyote Classic.
The Coyotes travel to Marianna, Fla. this weekend to play against the Nos. 2, 3, and 4 teams in the nation in the Rahal-Miller JUCO National Classic at Chipola College. You can listen to the games LIVE on Network1Sports.com. Find the link on the main Athletics page here on the CSN web site.
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