LEWISTON, ID – Warrior Baseball completed its four-game sweep of Warner Pacific (Ore.) on Sunday with wins of 10-6 and 14-3 (7 innings). The victories put LC State in a tie for first place in the Cascade Conference.
GAME ONE: LC State def. WPU 10-6
After a 1-2-3 inning for starter Jackson Cloud, the Warriors scored in the bottom of the first. Ike George legged out a triple to lead off the frame and Jack Sheward brought him in with a sacrifice fly.
Cloud worked a scoreless second and third on the mound, but two runs in the fourth put WPU in front. The Knights added two more in the fifth to grow the deficit to 4-1.
The Warriors chipped away at the Warner Pacific lead in the home half of the fifth with two runs. Brandon Cabrera walked to start the inning and Abe Affholter was hit by a pitch. After a wild pitch moved both into scoring position, Bulla Ephan and Sheward each singled to drive in the pair.
The Knights plated another pair of runs to grow their advantage back to 6-3 in the sixth, but the Warriors turned the tables in the bottom of the inning to put WPU away for good. Dominic Signorelli walked, and Cabrera singled before Ephan was hit by a pitch to load the bases. George tripled for the second time in the game to clear the bases and tie the contest, and a base hit by Sheward put LC State in front 7-6.
The Warriors put together a short two-out rally in the seventh. Signorelli walked, Cabrera singled and Garrett Bevacqua was hit to load the bases. Ephan drove in two with a base hit for a 9-6 lead. Cabrera was hit with the bases loaded in the eighth to cap the scoring at 10-6.
Jace Taylor closed the game with a 1-2-3 top of the ninth.
STATE RECAP
George, Sheward, Cabrera and Ephan each tallied two hits. George, Sheward and Ephan drove in three runs each.
Cloud tossed four innings and struck out three with one earned run. Kolby Solomon was solid with 2.2 innings of relief to earn the win, and Taylor threw the final two frames for the save.
GAME TWO: LC State def. WPU 14-3 (7 inn.)
LC State put together a massive 11-run first inning with every run scoring with two outs. Charlie Updegrave started the rally with a solo shot and WPU pitching struggled to regain its footing.
After a single by Marquez, five Warriors reached via free passes which resulted in three runs. George and Sheward notched hits to make it 7-0 and a walk to Updegrave loaded the bases for a grand slam by Marquez.
Landon Webb worked quick and faced the minimum through two before a scoreless third.
Base hits by Marquez, Weintraub and Signorelli brought in a run in the third and knocks by George and Updegrave made it 13-0 through four innings.
Warner Pacific struck for a three-run homer in the fifth, but LC State answered with a solo shot by John Paul Avila in the bottom of the frame.
STAT RECAP
Marquez and George each tallied three hits in the game and Marquez drove in four runs.
Webb tossed four innings in his first start and didn’t allow a run. Joey Estrada, Jake Green and Robby Butenschoen each appeared out of the bullpen.
UP NEXT
The Warriors host The College of Idaho next weekend for a four-game Cascade Conference series at Harris Field.