LA GRANDE, OR – The Warrior bats stayed hot on Monday as No. 20 LC State Baseball swept the twin bill at Eastern Oregon. LC State totaled 35 runs on the day to bring the series total to 55 between the four games. The Warriors took the series 3-1 with Monday’s 22-4 (7 innings) and 13-6 victories.
LC State smashed seven home runs in Monday’s game one to back up a solid outing by Jantzen Lucas. Charlie Updegrave and Jakob Marquez combined to drive in eight runs in game two behind strong pitching out the bullpen by Kolby Solomon.
The wins improve the Warrior record to 17-8 overall and 14-3 in Cascade Conference play.
GAME ONE: No. 20 LC State def. EOU 22-4 (7 inn.)
Ike George drove the first pitch of the game into right for a base hit and stole second. After a flyout by Jack Sheward moved George to third, Updegrave put LC State on top with a two-run home run. Lucas struck out a batter in the bottom of the first inning to maintain the 2-0 lead.
Abe Affholter stayed hot at the plate with a single and in the second and Izzy Madariaga doubled before a groundout by Bulla Ephan plated a run. George tallied his second single of the game and Sheward made it 6-0 with a three-run blast.
The top of the second continued with a walk to Updegrave, single by Marquez and walk to Noah Weintraub to load the bases. Dominic Signorelli was hit by a pitch for an RBI.
EOU answered with a home run to lead off the home half of the second, but the Warriors responded with another five runs in the third. Madariaga led off with a double and Ephan sent a ball over the fence in left for a two-run shot. Sheward followed up with a single and Updegrave was hit by a pitch, then Marquez made it 12-1 with a three-run homer.
The Mounties tacked on a run in the third inning that LC State erased it in the top of the fourth. Affholter walked and scored from first on a double by Ephan. The offensive onslaught continued after George walked and Sheward tallied his second three-run home run of the game for a 16-2 cushion.
Lucas worked a scoreless bottom of the fourth and the Warriors struck for more in the fifth. Signorelli and Affholter drew back-to-back walks and Anthony Karagiannopoulos notched a three-run blast to make it 19-2. The lead grew to 20-2 after Ephan singled and free passes to Garrett Bevacqua and John Paul Avila loaded the bases. Marquez was hit by a pitch to plate the 20th run.
Lucas retired the side in order in the fifth and struck out two in a scoreless sixth.
Spencer Zeller launched his first home run as a Warrior to grow the advantage to 22-2 in the seventh. Avila walked before Zeller blasted a ball to right.
Zachary Allegro took over on the mound in the bottom of the ninth and closed out the game after a two-run home run for EOU.
STAT RECAP
Sheward and Ephan each tallied three hits and Sheward drove in six runs. LC State hit seven home runs in the game led by Sheward pair of three-runs homers. Marquez and Ephan each drove in four runs.
Lucas earned the victory after six innings on the mound with seven strikeouts.
GAME TWO: No. 20 LC State def. EOU 14-6
George continued his strong weekend with a leadoff double to start the game. Sheward, Updegrave and Marquez followed with three straight singles, and free passes to Affholter and Signorelli had the lead at 3-0. Weintraub notched a hit to drive in a run and Karagiannopoulos was hit by a pitch to bring in the fifth run of the inning.
EOU threatened with the bases loaded in the home half of the inning, but a big strikeout by freshman pitcher Levi Anderson got the Warriors out of the jam with no damage done.
The Mounties plated two runs in the second and three in the fourth before Jake Green ended the EOU threat with the game tied 5-5. Eastern Oregon took its first lead of the day in the bottom of the fifth and Kolby Solomon came into the game to end the inning.
Updegrave put the Warriors back on top in the top of the sixth with a two-run blast. Sheward singled to reach as the tying run before Updegrave made it a 7-6 LC State lead.
Solomon worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth and the Warriors added on in the seventh. Weintraub led off with a single and Avila walked before George drove in a run with a base hit up the middle. Sheward walked to load the bases and Updegrave plated another with a base hit to left. Marquez stepped to the plate next and crushed a grand slam to right for a 13-6 advantage.
After Solomon fanned two in the eighth, Updegrave added more offense in the ninth. He singled up the middle and was lifted for pinch runner Zeller. A groundout moved him to third before he scored on a base hit by Affholter.
Jace Taylor came out of the bullpen in the bottom of the ninth and struck out the side in order to end the game.
STAT RECAP
Updegrave tallied four hits with three RBI and Marquez drove in five runs on three hits. Weintraub also notched three hits in the game.
Anderson struck out five batters in his three-inning start and Solomon earned the win. He did not allow a hit in 3.1 innings and struck out three. Taylor struck out all three batters he faced.
UP NEXT
The Warriors host Oregon Tech Mar. 29-30 in a four-game Cascade Conference series at Harris Field
