LEWISTON, Idaho – The Lewis-Clark State College Warriors fell a run short of title number 20 on Friday night with a 7-6 loss to Westmont College (Calif.) in the NAIA Baseball Championship game. LC State battled back from a 5-1 deficit to tie the game 6-6, but errors proved costly in the contest that gave Westmont it's first and only NAIA title as the school will transition to NCAA Division II next year.
Isaiah Thomas was voted the tournament's Most Valuable Player, despite not being on the championship team. The junior launched six home runs in six games. Pitchers
Trevin Hope and
Greg Blackman, as well as position players
Dominic Signorelli and
Charlie Updegrave, were voted to the NAIA All-Tournament Team along with Thomas.
Thomas put LC in front in the second with a solo shot, but Westmont answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame. The deficit grew to 3-1 after a Westmont run in the third.
Another two runs came in in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 5-1 Westmont lead.
Updegrave cut into the Westmont lead with a three-run blast in the top of the fifth.
Carter Booth led off the frame with a single to center and
Sam Olsson notched a hit to put two on. Updegrave drilled his homer to left to make it a one-run game at 5-4.
LC State errors allowed a run to come around in the bottom of the sixth and Westmont continued to strand LC State runners. The LC Warriors took advantage of Westmont misplays to even things up 6-6 in the seventh after singles by Olsson and De Sa turned into runs on infield errors.
Westmont regained the lead in the bottom of the eighth and shut LC down in the top of the ninth to earn the program's first and only NAIA title.
Olsson notched three hits in the contest and Updegrave drove in three runs.
Trevin Hope had the start on the mound and struck out three in 2.1 innings. Both Hope and
Drake George allowed two earned runs and fanned three, and Blackman tallied a strikeout in his third of an inning. George was credited with the loss.
In a season that was not up to typical LC State standards, the Warrior stunned the NAIA by sweeping the Opening Round and winning its way to the title game of the Avista NAIA World Series. LC State finished the season with a record of 37-18.
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