HENDERSON, NV – In a pivotal game one of their three-game series, the College of Southern Nevada Coyotes notched a nail-biting 3-2 victory over the Yavapai College Roughriders on Friday at Morse Stadium, leveraging a late-game rally to clinch a win that solidifies their standing in the ACCAC conference.

The Coyotes, improving their season record to an impressive 31-9 overall and 17-8 in conference play, saw a standout pitching performance by Logan Smith, who picked up his fifth win of the season. Smith's late-game heroics included crucial outs that prevented Yavapai from adding to their score, ultimately securing the win.

The game began as a pitcher's duel with both teams failing to score in the first three innings. Yavapai broke the silence in the fourth, capitalizing on a fielding error by CSN's first baseman Roy Durham, which allowed L. Richards and J. Cherringt to score, giving the Roughriders a 2-0 lead.

CSN responded in the bottom of the fourth with a sacrifice fly from Harvey Smerdon to cut the deficit to one. The intensity continued as both teams' pitchers battled to keep the game close. It wasn't until the seventh inning that CSN pulled even, thanks to a clutch RBI single by Kaiden Smaka, scoring Andrew Kaplan who had pinch-ran for Anthony Marnell IV after a leadoff single.

The decisive moment came in the bottom of the eighth when Alex Rhynes was hit by a pitch and advanced on a single by Chaz McNelis. Harvey Smerdon then delivered the game-winning hit, a single to left center that drove in Rhynes, sparking jubilation among the home crowd.

For Yavapai, T. Thompson suffered his first loss of the season despite a solid outing, allowing just two runs over one inning but faltering at a critical juncture by giving up the lead in the eighth.

Offensively, CSN out-hit Yavapai 10-4, with multiple players contributing to the effort. Harvey Smerdon and Chaz McNelis each collected multiple hits, providing much-needed stability at the plate.

The Coyotes look to carry this momentum into the next game of the series, aiming to extend their lead and solidify their position at the top of the conference standings. As the series progresses, both teams are set for more intense action, highlighting the competitive spirit of college baseball.