LEWISTON, ID – LC State Baseball saw strong pitching throughout the day to help the Warriors clinch the series win over The College of Idaho on Saturday. Warrior pitchers allowed just two earned runs between the two games and allowed only three hits in the nightcap.
A two-RBI hit by Noah Weintraub lifted LC State over the Yotes in game one 5-4, and the offense came alive for an 11-1 victory in the seven-inning second game.
The wins improve the LC State record to 27-10 overall and 23-5 in Cascade Conference play.
GAME ONE: LC State def. C of I 5-4
After a strikeout by Jantzen Lucas ended the top of the first, LC State put the game’s first run on the board. Jack Sheward, Charlie Updegrave and Jakob Marquez tallied three straight singles for a 1-0 Warrior lead.
Lucas recorded two more scoreless innings before a solo shot by Updegrave, his 16th of the season, made it a 2-0 lead. Brandon Cabrera legged out an infield single and stole second, then scored on a base hit to left by Dominic Signorelli for a 3-0 advantage through three innings.
Defensive miscues allowed a four-run top of the fifth to put C of I in front 4-3. Robby Butenschoen came out of the bullpen and got the Warriors out of a jam with a strikeout.
Both teams were held off the board through the sixth and seventh innings until LC State took the lead again in the home half of the eighth. Cabrera singled and took second on an error before Signorelli was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch put both in scoring position and both came in the score on a base hit by Weintraub.
Butenschoen struck out two in the top of the ninth to close out the contest.
STAT RECAP
Updegrave, Cabrera and Signorelli each had two hits in the game and Weintraub drove in two runs.
Lucas tossed 4.1 innings and gave up one earned run with three strikeouts and no walks. Butenschoen earned the win after 4.2 scoreless innings of relief with four strikeouts.
GAME TWO: LC State def. C of I 11-1 (7 innings)
Sheward tallied the first hit of the game with a single in the bottom of the first and scored on a double down the right field line by Updegrave for an early 1-0 edge.
C of I tied the game 1-1 in the top of the second on a bases-loaded walk, but the Warriors put up six runs in the home half of the inning to take control. Weintraub and Marquez tallied two straight singles, and Alex Sol took over on the bases for Marquez. Garrett Bevacqua grounded out to move both into scoring position and Weintraub scored on a fielder’s choice to give LC State the lead.
A base hit by Ike George loaded the bases with two outs and a base hit by Updegrave plated a pair. Cabrera walked on a wild pitch that went to the backstop to allow a run to score before a two-RBI double by Signorelli pushed the margin to 7-1 after two innings.
LC State added a pair in the third on hits by Marquez, Bevacqua and Sheward to make it 9-1. Right fielder Weintraub kept the Warriors up by eight with a double play on a fly out and a runner thrown out at the plate.
The Warriors called game in the bottom of the seventh after two runs induced the run rule. Marquez led off with a double and Sol took over on the bases, and a walk to Bevacqua and hit by Evan Overmars plated a run. George was intentionally walked to load the bases and Cabrera walked to end the game at 11-1.
STAT RECAP
Landon Webb earned the win with four innings pitched. He allowed just one run on one hit. Zachary Ediger earned a three-inning save. He struck out three and did not allow a run on two hits.
Marquez led the Warriors with three hits in the contest and Updegrave drove in three runs.
