EUGENE, OR – No. 22 LC State Baseball totaled 21 runs on Friday to come away with two wins against Bushnell University in a Cascade Conference doubleheader. The Warriors slugged their way to each win with clutch performances at the plate.
The sweep has the LC State record at 30-10 overall and 26-5 in CCC play.
GAME ONE: No. 22 LC State def. Bushnell 10-5
After a pair of strikeouts by Jadon Williamson helped the Warriors out of the first inning, LC State plated the game’s first run in the top of the second with a home run by Jakob Marquez. Williamson struck out the side in the home half of the frame and the Warriors added another in the second after hits by Ike George and Jack Sheward.
Bushnell answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third and the contest remained tied until LC State scored two in the top of the sixth. Dominic Signorelli led off the inning with a single and came around on a two-run home run by Bulla Ephan for a 4-2 edge.
The Beacons struck for one in the bottom of the sixth, but three LC State runs un the seventh pushed the margin to 7-3. An error put Charlie Updegrave on base before a single had Marquez aboard. Spencer Zeller ran for Marquez and both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Noah Weintraub singled through the left side to plate a run and Signorelli walked to load the bases. Brandon Cabrera and Ephan drew bases-loaded walks to bring in two runs.
Jackson Cloud came out of the Warrior bullpen in the seventh and fanned a pair of Beacons, and a solo shot by Sheward made it 8-3 in the eighth. Bushnell added a run in the bottom of the inning.
Signorelli tripled to start the top of the ninth and scored on a double by Cabrera. A groundout moved him to third and Garrett Bevacqua brought him in with a sacrifice fly.
Bushnell scored one in the bottom of the ninth, but a strikeout by Cloud ended the contest.
STAT RECAP
George and Signorelli each tallied three hits and Ephan drove in three runs. Signorelli finished the game a home run shy of the cycle.
Williamson earned his fifth win after six innings of work. He struck out 11 without walking a batter. Cloud earned his fourth save with three innings and four strikeouts.
GAME TWO: No. 22 LC State def. Bushnell 11-10
Bushnell built an early lead with three runs in the first and two in the second for a 5-0 advantage.
LC State began to chip away in the top of the third when George knocked in Bevacqua with an RBI-double. A solo home run by Weintraub in the fourth made it 5-2, but two more Bushnell runs in the bottom of the fifth had the Beacons in front 7-2.
The Warrior offense surged in the sixth with a pair of three-run blasts. Updegrave walked and Marquez singled to put two on for a two-out, three-run homer off the bat of Signorelli. Cabrera and Bevacqua worked back-to-back walks to keep the inning going and Anthony Karagiannpoulos put LC State in front 8-7 with another three-run home run.
The Beacons responded with three runs in the eighth to regain the lead 10-8, but the lead was short-lived.
Sheward started the seventh inning with a home run to cut the difference to one. Updegrave was hit by a pitch and Marquez hit the go-ahead two-run shot to put the Warriors in front for good, 11-10.
Robby Butenschoen threw two scoreless frames to end the contest.
STAT RECAP
Marquez led LC State with two hits while both Signorelli and Karagiannopulos each drove in three runs.
Jantzen Lucas had the start and worked two frames. Jake Green threw two scoreless innings with just one hit allowed and Zak Sullivan threw one inning. Butenschoen threw the final 3.2 innings and struck out eighth. He did not allow a run on two hits.