LEWISTON, Idaho – There's just something about weather delays at the Avista NAIA World Series that brings out the best in the Lewis-Clark State College baseball program.
 
Friday night during the opening round of the 62^nd annual event was a perfect example.
 
The Warriors found themselves trailing St. Thomas of Florida 1-0 in the third inning when play was halted because of lightening. After a 38-minute delay, the Warriors scored at least one run in the next five innings to claim a 6-5 win at LCSC's Harris Field.
 
The Warriors, who are seeking an NAIA-best 20^th World Series title, won their first title in 1984 after a weather delay of more than an hour in the championship game. On its way to winning two of the last three Series titles, the Warriors have found themselves trailing in games when weather delays hit, but in both games rallied to capture victories.
 
"It gave us time to breathe a little," LCSC coach Jeremiah Robbins said of Friday's delay. "That time off (LCSC hadn't played a game in three weeks), everyone thinks that is so beneficial but it kills us. The level we are now playing at is so high and the adrenalin is pumping. It's a whole another level we don't get to play at. So we had the opportunity to calm down a bit and get back to Warrior baseball."
 
The win puts No. 6 seed LCSC, 39-11 overall, into Monday's 6:30 p.m. game where it will meet the winner of Saturday's contest between No. 2 seed Georgia Gwinnett and No. 7 seed Freed-Hardeman.  St. Thomas, the No. 3 seed, falls to 56-8 and will face Northwestern of Ohio in a loser-out game on Saturday.
 
"It's huge," Robbins said of the win. "It's so huge. We got our feet wet and got some experience for the new group of guys who have never played in this before. We get to rest for a day or two and get back to it on Monday. So that's a huge win right there."
 
LCSC starting pitcher Lalo Porras enjoyed a solid outing. Coming off Tommy John surgery from last year, the right-hander only began playing in games in late March. On Friday, he had his longest outing since the surgery with seven innings of five-hit ball. He allowed two runs and struck out three. He picked up the win to move to 2-0 on the season.
 
St. Thomas got on the scoreboard first with a run in the second inning. Oscar Rodriguez drew a one-out walk, stole second, and scored on a single by Nick Izquierdo.
 
After the weather delay, the Warriors got to St. Thomas starter Orlando Rodriguez, who suffered his first loss in two years at the school. He entered Friday's game 14-0 on the season but gave up runs in four straight innings after the weather delay.
 
After the delay, LCSC tied the game at 1-1 when Joey Parente walked, Raymond Pedrina was hit by a pitch, and Kasey Bailey hit an RBI single to shallow center field.
 
St. Thomas regained the lead with a run in the fourth on Sergio Lopez's solo home run.
 
The Warriors answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth albeit only on one hit. Tyler McDowell singled up the middle, Kyle Callahan was hit by a pitch and Joey Parente's bunt single loaded the bases with two outs.  A.J. Davis then drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run, and a balk called on Orlando Rodriguez brought in another to make it 3-2.
 
A solo home run by McDowell, his sixth of the year, made it 4-2 in the fifth. Kody Garvin's sacrifice fly in the sixth scored Riley Way in the sixth, and Darren Trainor's suicide squeeze bunt brought in Baily in the seventh for a 6-2 lead.
 
St. Thomas made it interesting in the eighth with a pair of home runs. Chris Garabedian hit a two-run home shot and Lopez added a solo shot, his 15^th of the season, to make it 6-5.  LCSC reliever Gage Burland came in and shut the door, nailing down the final two outs in the eighth and then finishing the ninth for his seventh save.
 
McDowell had two hits to pace LCSC's seven-hit attack.