TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
LEWISTON, Idaho – A six-run eighth inning gave the Warriors a boost in their opening contest of the 2024 NAIA Opening Round, presented by Avista, at Harris Field on Monday. Top-seeded LC State faced a familiar foe in Cascade Conference opponent British Columbia and came away with an 8-1 victory.
Shane Spencer was solid through 7.1 innings before handing the ball over to closer
Cameron Smith. Big hits by
Jake Gish and
Brandon Cabrera powered the offense in the win.
The Warriors take on third-seeded Arizona Christian on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. at Harris Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
An error plated a run for UBC in the top of the first frame before a defensive gem by
Magnum Hofstetter at second ended the threat. A pair of stellar plays at the hot corner by
Pu'ukani De Sa aided a 1-2-3 second.
A leadoff walk to Gish in the home half of the second led to a tie game.
Charlie Updegrave and Cabrera tallied back-to-back singles to knot the score 1-1.
Gish put LC on top in the fourth with a solo shot to start the inning and
Carter Booth kept the 2-1 lead intact with a crashing catch into the wall in left center in the fifth. Spencer needed just four pitches to retire UBC in order in the top of the sixth.
Smith came out of the Warrior bullpen in the eighth inning with two on and one out. A groundout was followed by a big strikeout to close out the frame.
The Warriors were looking for insurance runs and scored six in the eighth inning.
Nick Seamons walked and
Dominic Signorelli was hit by a pitch before a double by Gish plated a run. Updegrave wore a pitch and Cabrera singled to make it 5-1. UBC walked De Sa to load the bases with no outs and a sacrifice fly by Hofstetter brought in a run.
The inning continued when a wild pitch moved De Sa to second and a single by Booth drove in a run. A double steal with Booth taking second and De Sa scoring had the lead at 8-1.
Despite bases being loaded, Smith struck out the side in the ninth to close out the contest. He fanned four in his 1.2 innings to earn his seventh save.
Gish, Cabrera and De Sa each tallied two hits on the day, Cabrera drove in three runs and Gish scored three. The Warriors had three stolen bases in the contest with swipes by Booth, Cabrera and De Sa.
UP NEXT
LC State takes on Arizona Christian on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. Both teams won their opening games on Monday and have not faced off since 2022. The contest will be live streamed and have live stats. Coverage will be carried on KOZE in the LC Valley and on KOZE.com.
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.
