LEWISTON, ID – Charlie Updegrave made Cascade Conference history on Saturday with the 40th home run of his career. The milestone puts him atop the CCC ranks in career home runs (LC State joined the NAIA West/CCC in 2009) and fifth in the Warrior record book. The senior tallied eight hits in the twin bill, including a 5-for-5 performance in game two, to tie the LC State record for hits in a doubleheader. The Warriors defeated Warner Pacific (Ore.) 17-0 and 14-3, both in seven innings.
GAME ONE: LC State def. WPU 17-0 (7 innings)
LC State scored early and often in game one. After a 1-2-3 inning by Jadon Williamson in the top of the first, the Warrior offense got to work.
Jack Sheward walked as the first base runner for LC State and Charlie Updegrave doubled to plate the first run. Williamson struck out two in the third and the Warriors added two runs.
Sheward reached on a fielder’s choice and a base hit by Jakob Marquez put runners on the corners. Noah Weintraub and Dominic Signorelli tallied back-to-back singles to grow the lead to 3-0.
LC state busted the game open with a seven-run fourth inning. Bulla Ephan got the offense going with a double to left center and an error on a ball hit by Ike George plated courtesy runner Spencer Zeller. Another error brought George in before Marquez hit a two-run shot over the wall in right for a 7-0 advantage. Weintraub singled and Signorelli added another two-run homer to make it 9-0.
Brandon Cabrera kept the frame going with a single, Abe Affholter was hit by a pitch and Ephan walked to load the bases. George wore a pitch to bring in the Warriors’ 10th run.
Six more LC State runs came in in the fifth. Updegrave and Marquez notched back-to-back singles, and Weintraub was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. An error on a ball hit by Signorelli brought in a run before Cabrera was hit by a pitch to plate another. George drove a double down the left field line to drive in two runs and a base hit by Sheward had the score at 15-0. A single by Updegrave capped the inning at 16-0.
Levi Anderson came out of the bullpen in the top of the sixth in relief of Williamson and retired the side in order. The Warriors added their 17th run in the home half of the inning with an RBI-single by Isaiah Chacon. Zeller led off with a single through the right side and John Paul Avila followed with a base hit of his own. Alex Sol was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Chacon drove in the final run of the game.
STAT RECAP
Updegrave, Marquez and Signorelli each tallied three hits in the game. Signorelli drove in four runs and George knocked in three. LC State notched 18 hits as a team.
Williamson earned his fifth win after five shutout innings. He allowed just three hits and struck out five. Anderson worked two innings and fanned three without allowing a hit or walk.
MATCH TWO: LC State def. WPU 14-3 (7 innings)
Warner Pacific scored its first runs of the day with two in the top of the first inning. LC State responded with three in the home half of the frame to regain control. George doubled and Sheward single to put two on for Updegrave’s historic home run. The senior’s three-run blast set the Cascade Conference record for career home runs at 40.
Starter Jantzen Lucas settled in for the second inning and struck out a pair. The Warriors added six runs to grow the margin to 9-2 in the bottom of the inning. Affholter and Chacon led off with a pair of singles and George was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Sheward was then hit which plated a run, and a single by Updegrave made it 5-2.
Marquez and Weintraub tallied back-to-back sacrifice flies before Signorelli doubled and Cabrera tripled to cap the inning.
A double play and a strikeout made for a quick top of the third, and LC State added another run in the bottom of the frame with base hits by Chacon and Updegrave to make it 10-2.
Sheward was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the fifth and Updegrave singled to move him over. After a double play moved Sheward to third, Weintraub drove him in to grow the lead to 11-2. He stole second and scored on a two-run homer run by Signorelli for a 13-2 margin.
Zachary Ediger came out of the bullpen in the top of the sixth and allowed an unearned run, but the Warriors responded with one in the bottom. Affholter was hit by a pitch before George and Updegrave singled to make it 14-3.
Ediger ended the contest with a strikeout and a groundout back to the pitcher.
