LEWISTON, Idaho – Cascade Conference Player of the Year Brock Ephan showed why he is one of the most feared hitters in the NAIA with a 5-for-5 performance to help the fifth-ranked LC State Warriors to the first Cascade Conference Baseball Tournament Championship. LC defeated Corban 6-1 in the title game of the Cascade Conference Baseball Championship, presented by U.S. Bank.
 
Trent Sellers struck out six in his five-inning start to give the LC Warriors a chance to do damage at the plate. After a run in the third, LC State busted the game open with two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth.
 
"Obviously we didn't play our best today, but ultimately playing postseason baseball at home and winning the conference tournament was a nice way to close out the weekend," Head Coach Jake Taylor said. "Trent gave us his best outing of the year up to this point. Hopefully that will give him some momentum heading into the next few weeks."
 
LC State scored the first run of the game in the top of the third. A.J. Davis and Brock Ephan notched a pair of singles, and Davis scored on a dropped fly ball to put the LC Warriors in front 1-0.
 
Sellers wrapped up his outing in five innings and struck out six. He gave up just two hits before turning the ball over to Brooks Juhasz in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Dillon Plew reached after being hit by a pitch in the top of the seventh to get momentum going for LC State. He raced around to third on a base hit up the middle by Ephan and came in to score when Aidan Nagle ripped a ball down the first base line. Luke White brought in Ephan with a sacrifice fly to grow the advantage to 3-0.
 
The scoring trend carried over into the eighth after Matt James, Riley Way and Plew walked to load the bases with two outs. Cascade Conference Player of the Year Ephan doubled down the right field line to clear the bases and make it 6-0.
 
Tallon Thomason took over on the mound in the bottom of the eighth and sat Corban down in order before closing out the game in the ninth.
 
Ephan led the offense with his 5-for-5 day and three RBI.
 
The Warriors now turn their attention to the 2021 Avista NAIA World Series beginning May 28 at Harris Field.
 
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