LEWISTON, Idaho – When he was needed,
Charlie Updegrave delivered. The junior was called upon to pinch-hit with two on and the Warriors trailing by one in the sixth inning against UBC and put LC State in front with a three-run blast.
The pitcher Updegrave took deep was one of three he homered off of in his three-home-run game earlier this season.
The Warriors had a stellar performance out of the bullpen from
Bryson Spagnuolo who held UBC scoreless through 3.1 innings and gave LC the chance to battle back.
"Great team win today," Head Coach
Jake Taylor said. "We had tremendous competitiveness and recovered from a sluggish start. UBC came ready to play as we knew they would. We will rest up and be ready to go tomorrow."
After a Thunderbird run in the first, stellar defense by UBC kept the Warriors off the board until the fourth frame.
Zach Threlfall evened things up in top of the fourth with an RBI-single.
Sam Linscott led the inning off with a hit-by-pitch.
The Warrior defense came in clutch in the bottom of the inning with great plays by
Riley Way and
A.J. Davis, plus a pickoff at second by
Eric Chavarria.
LC State grabbed its first lead of the game in the fifth. Way reached on a fielder's choice, and back-to-back singles by
Aidan Nagle and Linscott put the Warriors ahead 2-1.
The advantage changed hands once again in the next half inning when the Thunderbirds tacked on two to pull ahead 3-2.
Updegrave the biggest hit of his season in the sixth when he pinch hit for Davis.
Justin Mazzone reached after getting hit by a pitch and
Nick Seamons walked to put two on. Updegrave put LC back in front with a three-run blast way over the wall in right center, and the Warrior defense flashed some leather in the bottom of the inning to maintain the advantage.
The lead grew to 6-3 in the eighth when Way drilled a solo shot to left, and Spagnuolo continued his strong outing in relief with a pair of punchouts.
Eli Shubert struck out a batter in the ninth before a 4-6-3 double play ended the contest.
Threlfall led LC with three hits and Way had two. Updegrave provided the difference-making three RBI with his homer in the sixth.
"It's a tough spot to buy into, but being a pinch hitter is special and when your moment comes you have to be ready because you only get one chance for that game," Updegrave said. "You have to make the most of it, and I have realized that that is my role on this team this season and I've bought into it."
Spagnuolo earned his third win of the season after striking out five in his 3.1 innings of relief. He gave up only one hit and did not walk a batter.
UP NEXT
The Warriors will compete for the CCC title on Wednesday at 1 p.m. and will take on the winner of Tuesday's nightcap. If LC drops the first game, an if-necessary game will be played directly after.
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.
