Korok comes up clutch
Kalyna Korok is greeted at home plate after hitting a home run against Treasure Valley on Friday afternoon at Post Falls High School. LOREN BENOIT/Press
North Idaho College infielder Kayla Curtan steps on first base and throws to first during Friday’s game against Treasure Valley. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
POST FALLS — From the top of the batting order to the bottom, anybody can have a day for the North Idaho College softball team.
Friday was sophomore Kalyna Korok’s day.
Korok, a third baseman from Tigard, Ore., hit a pair of three-run home runs in the second game, and finished with seven RBIs to lead the Cardinals past the Treasure Valley Chukars 13-8 in the second game of a Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader at Post Falls High.
The win completed the sweep for NIC (18-2, 9-1 NWAC), which won the first game 11-1 in five innings.
“I knew that there was a big zone,” Korok said. “I just had to get focused and get my head on straight and just work with what they gave me.”
Korok’s first three-run homer capped a six-run first inning for the Cardinals. She singled to score Jori Kerr with the go-ahead run in the fifth inning to give NIC a 9-8 lead. Her second three-run came in the sixth and completed the scoring.
“She came up big for us in that second game and hit that clutch home run in the sixth inning,” NIC coach Don Don Williams said. “She’s a kid that stays as cool as a cucumber and stays in the moment. She really came through with a timely hit in a big moment. She’s a great player.”
Treasure Valley (6-10, 6-4), which fell behind 6-0 after the first inning, scored five runs in the top of the second inning as the Cardinals committed three errors in the inning.
“I’ve got faith in all these girls,” Korok said. “Our coaches have told us to bounce back from every error.”
Megan Carver hit a solo home run in the fourth inning to give NIC an 8-7 lead.
“We’ve got a lot of depth,” Williams said. “One through nine, we can swing it, they can execute and it’s a testament to our depth.”
NIC played its first home games of the season on Friday after having the home opener canceled due to snow on March 10. Due to construction at Memorial Field, NIC is playing its home games at Post Falls High this season.
“It’s been a long while since we’ve been home,” Williams said. “We’re so happy that Post Falls is letting us come out to this complex.”
NIC will face Blue Mountain in a doubleheader today at Post Falls, starting at noon.
NIC is ranked No. 1 in this week’s conference poll, as voted on by NWAC coaches.
“I haven’t really told the team, so I don’t know if they’ve even looked,” Williams said. “Those are just preseason numbers that don’t really mean much to me right now. It’s not how you start, but how you finish. We’re focused on the next game and playing the next game.”
Kayla Moore struck out three for NIC in the second game, with four of her five runs allowed in the second inning scoring on errors.
“I don’t think we played great defense for Kayla when she got into the circle,” Williams said. “We had a couple of errors and knew we needed to come out stronger and have a better plan for tomorrow.”
In the first game, Kerr and Kennedy Anderson homered in the opener and Audrey Seipert struck out six for NIC, which has scored 231 runs and homered 41 times this season.
“Offensively, we have to think we’re one of the better hitting teams in the conference,” Williams said. “We’ve got everyone back in the infield and some solid depth in the pitching circle. I think that sets us apart from the other teams in the conference right now. Our depth in the pitching circle has been really huge and having some depth in key positions as really been big for us.”
FIRST GAME
Treasure Valley 100 00 — 1 3 2
North Idaho 310 7x — 11 9 0
Game called in 5th inning due to 10-run rule.
Raelyn Curry and Jordan Henley; Audrey Seipert and Devinne Amesquita. W — Seipert (2-1). L — Curry (3-2).
HITS: TVCC — Gray, Smith, Henley. NIC — Schaller, Curtan 2, K. Anderson 2, Korok, Carver, Kerr, Amesquita. HR — Henley (5), K. Anderson (6), Kerr (4).
SECOND GAME
Treasure Valley 050 210 0 — 8 8 2
North Idaho 601 114 x — 13 13 4
Shaylee Flint, Raelyn Curry (5) and Jordan Henley; Kayla Moore, Audrey Seipert (5), Maddi Mott (7) and Taylor Anderson, Devinne Amesquita (7). W — Moore (9-0). L — Flint (2-2).
HITS: TVCC — Huddleston 2, McPhee 2, Mulvany, Okamura, Smith, Henley. NIC — Curtan 2, K. Anderson 2, Carver 2, Mott, Korok 3, Winn 2, Kerr 2. 2B — Curtan, Carver. HR — Smith (3), Carver (5), Korok 2 (7).