NIC SOFTBALL: Cardinals power past Hawks for sweep
<p>JAKE PARRISH/Press North Idaho College sophomore Lexi Courtney throws to first base after tagging out Megan McMurrin of Columbia Basin College at second base during a doubleheader on Wednesday at Lake City High School.</p>
<p>JAKE PARRISH/Press North Idaho College sophomore Chloe McIntosh makes contact while at bat during the second inning of a matchup with Columbia Basin College on Wednesday at Lake City High School.</p>
COEUR d’ALENE — Nicole Miller hit a two-run walkoff home run in the opener and three players drove in four runs each in the nightcap, powering the North Idaho College Cardinals to a 9-7 and 17-3 sweep of the Columbia Basin Hawks in Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader featuring teams from the East Region on Wednesday at Lake City High.
Miller also hit a two-run homer in the first inning for NIC, which also had Jamie Yurick drive in two runs in the opener.
In the second game, NIC’s Katie Barron, Lexi Courtney and Amber Hawkes drove in four runs each as the Cardinals improved to 13-3, 7-1 in conference play.
Abby Howard, Barron homered and Amber Hawkes — who earned the win in the circle for NIC — homered twice in the second game.
NIC (13-3, 7-1 NWAC) is scheduled to host Wenatchee Valley on Friday at Memorial Field.
Columbia Basin is 14-6, 6-2.
FIRST GAME
Col. Basin 320 200 0 — 7 6 0
North Idaho 213 000 2 — 9 10 4
Kayla Andrews and Suzanna Lubanski, Terin Wade; Katie Barron and Abby Howard, Nicole Miller. W — Barron (7-1). L — Andrews (13-1).
HITS: CBCC — McMurrin 2, Jones, Lubanski, Wade, Simpson. NIC — McIntosh 3, Barron, Miller 2, Yurick, Gay, Raynor 2. 2B — McIntosh. HR — Lubanski (2), Miller 2 (7).
SECOND GAME
Col. Basin 002 21 — 3 6 1
North Idaho 122 (12)x — 17 18 2
Kadi Patterson, S. Gilliam (4), Kayla Andrews (4) and Terin Wade; Amber Hawkes and Nicole Miller. W — Hawkes (5-2). L — Patterson (1-1).
HITS: CBCC — McMurrin, Andrews, Patterson 2, Lubanski, Wyant. NIC — McIntosh, Howard 3, Barron 4, Miller 3, Courtney 2, Haake, Hawkes 3, Raynor. 2B — Miller, Courtney. HR — Howard (6), Barron (7), Hawkes 2 (2).