LEWISTON, Idaho – No. 5 Warrior Baseball celebrated Easter Sunday with a series-clinching victory over (RV) British Columbia at Harris Field. The 9-3 win gives LC State a 4-3 record against the Thunderbirds this season in Cascade Conference play.
The victory improved the LC State record to 29-4 overall and 21-4 in Cascade Conference play. The Warriors hold a two-game lead over UBC in the CCC standings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Jackson Jaha opened the scoring in the contest with a solo shot to center in the home half of the first inning, and two strikeouts by
Jace Taylor in the top of the second kept the lead intact.
Sam Weber opened the bottom of the second with a hard line drive to center and stole second before a fielder's choice off the bat of
Kooper Jones had runners on the corners.
Bo Stinson took over as the courtesy runner for Jones and stole second, and the pair scored on a sacrifice fly by
Payton Smith and single by
Brandon Nguyen.
UBC answered with a run on two hits in the top of the fourth off reliever
Tyler Logan, but the Warriors responded with two in the bottom of the frame. LC State took advantage of Thunderbird struggles as three walks and an error plated two runs for a 5-1 lead.
Jackson Cloud took over on the mound in the fifth and held UBC off the board for the next three innings before the Warriors added to the run total in the bottom of the seventh.
Izzy Madariaga beat the shift with a bloop single into shallow right field and walks to Weber and pinch hitter
Spencer Zeller loaded the bases. Jones sent a base hit into right to bring two runs across for a 7-1 advantage.
The Thunderbirds cut into the LC State lead with two runs on three hits before
Zak Sullivan came out of the bullpen and sat down the first batter he faced on three straight pitches. Nguyen ended the inning with a line drive throw to the plate to cut down a runner trying to score.
The Warriors matched UBC with two runs in the home half of the inning. Nguyen dropped down a bunt for a hit to start the frame and Jaha walked to put two on. Madariaga legged out a bunt single that forced an error to bring Nguyen around to score. Johnson tallied the third infield single of the inning and a sacrifice fly by Weber made it 9-3.
The Warrior defense turned a double play to erase a leadoff single in the ninth and Sullivan ended the game with a strikeout.
STAT RECAP
Nguyen, Madariaga and Johnson each had two hits in the contest and Jones drove in two runs.
Cloud earned his sixth win of the season with 3.1 innings of relief. Taylor struck out five in his three-inning start and LC State pitching did not walk a batter.
UP NEXT
LC State heads to La Grande, Ore., for a four-game Cascade Conference series at Eastern Oregon Apr. 11-12.
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.
