LEWISTON, Idaho – The No. 24 Lewis-Clark State Baseball team opened the Cascade Conference season on Saturday with a doubleheader at home against Oregon Tech. Compared to the season-opening road trip, the Warrior bats were relatively silent, aside from a four-hit day for Riley Way. Both LC starters, Tallon Thomason in game one and Trent Sellers in game two, had solid outings to help the Warriors to a pair of victories (3-1 and 4-3). Luke White provided the walk-off single in the game two victory that saw two defensive gems from Sam Linscott and Aidan Nagle.
 
GAME ONE: LC State def. Oregon Tech 3-1
Thomason gave the Warriors a strong start in his third win of the season. He held OIT hitless through the first four innings.
 
Way got the momentum going in the home half of the third with a single to right. A double by Dillon Plew moved him to third before Jack Johnson's RBI-groundout put LC State up 1-0.
 
OIT tallied its first hit and run in the top of the fifth to tie the game. The Warriors responded in the home half of the inning with two hits to plate the go-ahead run. Way singled before taking third on an error and a base hit by Plew plated Way to make it a 2-1 game.
 
Jesse Parker came on in the top of the seventh in relief of Thomason, ending his day after six solid innings. He struck out four and allowed one earned run.
 
LC added on in the eighth with back-to-back doubles by Johnson and Nagle to give the Warriors a 3-1 lead.
 
Parker closed out the game with a pair of strike outs to bring his three-inning total to three. He did not allow a run in his outing and earned his first save of the season.
 
"Only giving up one run in the game is a testament to the quality start from Tallon, and the relief pitching from Jesse," Head Coach Jake Taylor said.
 
Way, Plew and Nagle each had two hits in the game and Way scored a pair of runs.
 
"The top of our lineup offensively put just enough together for us to get the win," Taylor said.
 
GAME TWO: LC State def. Oregon Tech 4-3
Brock Ephan put the Warriors on the board in game two with his second big fly of the season. He crushed an 0-2 pitch into the bleachers in left field to make it 1-0 in the second.
 
A single by Linscott opened the door for Way to line an RBI single to left-center and double the lead. LC led 2-0 after three.
 
Linscott came up big with a key defensive play in the top of the fourth. The left fielder laid out for a ball hit to shallow left and made the diving grab to get the Warriors out of a bases-loaded jam and save multiple OIT runs.
 
The Owls tied the game in the top of the seventh with a pair of runs on one hit. A leadoff walk came back to haunt the Warriors and the game sat tied 2-2 after seven. Greg Blackman got the ball in the top of the eighth and struck out two to keep the Owls off the board and send LC back to the plate.
 
The game went into the ninth tied 2-2, and OIT jumped in front 3-2 with two hits before a stellar play by Nagle turned into a double play to end the inning. LC went to the plate down one run.
 
Johnson opened the Warriors' half of the ninth by reaching on an error by the shortstop. A bad pickoff attempt by the pitcher sent him to third, and a double by Ephan tied the ballgame. Alex Light took over on the bases for Ephan, and White provided the heroics with a walk-off single to left. LC won game two 4-3.
 
Way and Ephan led the Warriors with two hits each in the second contest of the day. Ephan knocked in two runs with two extra base hits.
 
Sellers had the start for LC State and struck out five through five innings. He did not allow a run. Cameron Smith struck out one in his inning of relief. Both he and Bryson Spagnuolo gave up a run in one inning. Blackman earned his first win of the season on two innings, three strikeouts and an earned run.
 
"Several defensive plays by Sam and Aidan were the difference in the game," Taylor explained. "OIT had a great game plan against us today, and we were lucky to escape with two wins. We will need to be better in all facets of the game tomorrow."
 
The Warriors wrap up the home series with OIT on Sunday with a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. Both games will be streamed on the Warrior Sports Network and carried on KOZE.
 
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