NIC SOFTBALL: Cardinals swept in regular-season finale

WALLA WALLA, Wash. — Former Lake City High product Jamie Yurick hit a two-run homer in the third inning to give North Idaho a 3-2 lead, but the Walla Walla Warriors answered in the bottom of the third, then went on to beat the Cardinals 6-5 in the second game of a Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader on Friday.

Earlier, Walla Walla beat NIC 14-8 in the first game. It was NIC’s regular season finale.

Lexi Courtney hit a two-run home run in the second inning of the second game for NIC, which wrapped up the East Region championship with a sweep of the Community Colleges of Spokane on Wednesday at Spokane Falls Community College.

In the opener, Chloe McIntosh and Abby Howard had two RBIs each for the Cardinals.

NIC (33-11, 26-6 NWAC) is idle until the NWAC championships next Friday through Monday at Delta Park in Portland.

Walla Walla (26-18, 22-8), second in the East Region, hosts Spokane today.

FIRST GAME

North Idaho 016 001 0 — 8 10 3

Walla Walla 200 084 x — 14 15 3

Amber Hawkes and Nicole Miller; Brittney Bradley, Mallory Chavez (6) and Anna Williams. W — Bradley. L — Hawkes.

HITS: NIC — McIntosh, Aspden, Howard 2, Gay 2, Yurick, Courtney, Haake, Raynor. WWCC — Williams 3, Watts, Faulkner 2, McDaniels, Ware 2, Parker 2, Erbst, Taylor, Hicks 2. 2B — McIntosh, Howard 2, Williams 2, Hicks. 3B — Faulkner. HR — Yurick (5), Parker (2).

SECOND GAME

North Idaho 022 001 0 — 5 10 3

Walla Walla 102 201 x — 6 9 2

Amber Hawkes, Makinsey Finch (5) and Abby Howard; Mallory Chavez, Mickenzie Mullins (5), Brittney Bradley (7) and Jacie McDaniels. W — Mullins. L — Finch. S — Bradley.

HITS: NIC — Aspden, Howard 2, Yurick, Courtney, Haake 3, Miller, Raynor. WWCC — Williams 2, Watts 2, McDaniels 2, Ware, Erbst, Taylor. 2B — Williams, McDaniels. HR — Yurick (6), Courtney (6).