LEWISTON, Idaho – It took two walk-offs, but the Lewis-Clark State Warriors got it done on Saturday to complete the four-game sweep of the No. 15 Vanguard Lions. The hero of game one, Zach Needham, stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with LC trailing 7-5 and cranked a three-run shot into the batting cages to give the Warriors an 8-7 walk-off win. In game two, Riley Way was patient at the plate with bases loaded and worked a walk to bring in the winning run.
 
"It felt really good," Needham said. "We had a lot of fight and got down a few times today but kept battling and kept putting innings together where we'd score some runs and get back in the game."
 
The Warriors have now won seven in a row.
 
"It was a good team win there at the end. We got a lot of guys involved in the win, both on the mound, and offensively and defensively," coach Jake Taylor said.
 
GAME ONE: LCSC def. Vanguard 8-7
Starter Lalo Porras struggled with his command early in the first inning. Though he struck out the side, three walks and a hit batter followed a leadoff single to plate two runs.
 
Porras settled in over the next two innings and struck out three batters while not giving up a hit.
 
Zach Needham and Dalton Duarte led off the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back hits and Kody Garvin walked to load the bases. Riley Way ripped a base hit up the middle to knock in the first Warrior run of the game before a Thomas Lampkin Jr. RBI groundout knotted things up 2-2.
 
The Lions battled in the top half of the fifth. Vanguard regained the lead, scoring a run on two hits.
 
Garvin put LC back in front in the bottom of the inning with a blast to right center. Bart walked and Duarte reached on an error to put two on for Garvin's three-run shot to give the Warriors a 5-3 advantage.
 
The lead was short lived, however, as reliever Kade Woods ran into trouble in the sixth. A double and two walks loaded the bases. A groundout brought in a run to cut the lead to 5-4 before Matt Driver took over on the mound and gave up a two-run single to close the book on Woods. Vanguard led 6-5 after six.
 
Darren Trainor put in work behind the plate cutting down a runner at second for the first out of the eighth inning. The Lions struck for a run in the inning to grow their advantage to 7-5.
 
In the top of the ninth, Lamkpin Jr. fired a throw to Trainor at the plate to prevent another run from scoring.
 
Trainor walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth and pinch-hitter Jaden Phillips was hit by a pitch to put two on. Jesus Duran took over on the bases for Trainor, and Bart reentered at first in place of Phillips.
 
Needham provided the game's heroics with a no-doubter just to the left of the P1FCU Video Board in right to lift the Warriors over the Lions for the third-straight game.
 
Needham had himself a ballgame, leading LC with three hits and three RBI. He also scored two runs.
 
GAME TWO: LCSC def. Vanguard 6-5 (8 innings)
Needham stayed hot at the plate, getting the Warriors on the board in the bottom of the first. A.J. Davis walked and Callahan was hit by a pitch to put two on with two outs. Needham ripped a single to center to plate Davis and give LC a 1-0 lead.
 
Justin Hammergren pitched a solid start. He went three scoreless innings and struck out four.
 
Isaac Wersland added to the Warriors' lead in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run shot into the left field bleachers. He knocked in Needham who singled to lead off the inning.
 
The Lions evened the score with a three-run fifth, but LC responded in the bottom half of the inning when Trainor knocked in Davis to put the Warriors back in front 4-3.
 
The game was originally scheduled for seven innings, so Taylor handed the ball to closer Joe Riley in the top of the inning. Two home runs left LC trailing 5-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
 
Jaden Phillips drew a walk and was replaced on the bases by Duran. A double by Way put two in scoring position and a throwing error brought in the tying run and sent the game to extras.
 
Riley sat the Lions down in order to quickly bring LC back to the plate. Lampkin Jr. was hit by a pitch and Makana Victorine reached on an error by the second baseman before Jeff Bart walked to load the bases. Way worked the walk the send the Warriors home with their fourth win of the weekend.
 
Needham added two more hits to his day for a total of five on Saturday. Way, Trainor, Needham and Wersland all collected an RBI in the contest.
 
"Everybody got hits when we needed them," Needham said. "We had a lot of clutch hitting."
 
"It'll be nice this week to get out and practice for four solid days before the next series," Taylor said.
 
This was the second time in program history that LC has won both games of a twin bill via the walk off since they did it against Azusa Pacific in 2010. The Warriors are now 12-0 all-time against Vanguard.
 
The Warriors continue their home stand with a doubleheader on Thursday against Corban. First pitch is set for noon at Harris Field.