KEIZER, Ore. – Behind by one run and down to their final out, Lewis-Clark State came through, winning its final road game of the year. The Warriors, playing in their 18
th consecutive game away from home, defeated Corban University 5-3 in 11 innings in an NAIA West contest.
Down 3-2 in the ninth, pinch hitter Josh Moore led off the inning with a single.
A.J. Davis, running for Moore, was sacrificed to second by
Riley Way. After Corban pitcher Jonathan Russomano struck out
Kasey Bailey,
Cory Voss came to the plate with two outs. With two strikes, Voss stroked a single to right-center scoring Davis from second, to tie the game 3-3.
Efrain Del Rio, who had relieved Woods in the seventh inning, held Corban scoreless in the ninth, and neither team scored in the tenth.
The Warriors took advantage of two walks and an error to load the bases in the 11
th inning. With two outs, the reigning NAIA Player of the Week,
Tyler McDowell stroked a two-run single to center to give LC a 5-3 lead.
Warrior pitcher Joseph Riley closed the door in the bottom of the 11th. Riley (4-0), pitching in his second inning of relief, struck out Corban's Tanner Marsh, with two runners on base, for the final out.
The Warriors (37-10, 26-6 NAIA West) had surrendered two runs to Corban in the first inning, but allowed just one run and two hits to the home team the rest of the game.
Trailing 2-0, LC Coach
Jeremiah Robbins replaced starting pitcher
Anthony Toribio with
Kade Woods in the second inning, and Woods proceeded to retire 15 consecutive Corban batters. During Wood's tenure both teams went scoreless until the seventh, when a Warrior error allowed a base runner, who later scored an unearned run, on a passed ball and wild pitch, putting LC in a 3-0 hole.
The Warriors got on the scoreboard in the eighth on
Darren Trainor's sacrifice fly, followed by
Matt Thompson's RBI double, to pull within 3-2.
.
Corban (27-24, 16-16 NAIA West) was held to three hits, while LC had 10. Voss went 2-4, and Davis 2-3.
Woods struck out seven and walked one in his 5.1 innings pitched, while del Rio and Riley each struck out three, and did not allow a run in their two innings of relief.
Lewis-Clark State's next game will be at home Saturday at 5 p.m. against Whitworth.
