Even the most conservative baseball tactician will push the envelope in the early going, so we can't be overly critical of Bub Bergstrom's bid to score from second on a wild pitch nine deliveries into Saturday's game.

Sure, it was a risky if not reckless proposition and, yes, it failed -- Bergstrom was called out on a play at the plate that really could have gone either way.

But St. Martin's presumably knew other scoring opportunities would come along. And they did.

The Saints squandered those two as well.

Lewis-Clark State was painfully frugal in its 8-0 afternoon victory at Harris Field. With the aid of fine fielding support, four Warrior pitchers combined on a four-hitter and allowed just four baserunners into scoring position.

"Everybody threw well," L-C coach Ed Cheff, whose ballclub registered its fifth shutout of the season and now stands 26-5. "It's tough to keep any team from scoring, especially when you throw three or four guys."

The Warriors, in turn, tagged St. Martin's four-pitcher alignment for 10 hits. Tyler Best, Allen Balmer and Ryan Stevenson drove in two runs apiece -- Best by way of his team-leading fifth homer, a wind-piercing shot to right-center in the third inning.

L-C pitchers, though, dictated the tenor of this contest, the middle date of a three-game series with the NCAA Division II Saints, 3-22.

While starter Austin Weilep was the most vulnerable -- he gave up two hits and walked four -- the freshman right-hander displayed enviable resolve in his predetermined three-inning appearance.

Bergstom led off the game with a single, then stole second. After striking out Scott Sims, Weilep uncorked a wild pitch while facing Tyler Sandland. The ball skipped to the backstop, and Best, the catcher, didn't immediately spot its location.

At third before Best even spied the ball, Bergstrom dug for home. Best scrambled to the ball and flipped it to Balmer, the first baseman who was covering the plate. Balmer got Bergstrom with a sweeping tag.

After Bergstom's punchout -- heated objection by St. Martin's assistant Ken Garland resulted in his ejection -- Weilep walked Sandland and Adam Siler. He escaped that jam by inducing Jeff Miken into an inning-ending groundout.

"Even though we've got a lot of faith in our hitters' ability to score runs, it's still a big relief when you get a zero up on the board," said Weilep, who also walked two Saints in the second inning, then got a flyout to retire the side. "With all the guys we've got throwing, you've got to prove yourself in the innings you get."

With the scorer-awarded victory, Weilep goes to 3-0.

L-C's subsequent pitchers -- Rob Williams, Carlos Fisher and Nick Seely -- went two innings apiece, throwing 30, 26 and 19 pitches, respectively. Williams and Seely worked perfect relief.

St. Martin's singled twice off Fisher with two down in the sixth, and a wild pitch by the junior right-hander moved both Saints up.

Fisher, however, doused the threat by catching Jason Gragg on a called third strike. It was Fisher's third strikeout of the inning.

No other Saints reached base.

"Guys threw good pitches in tough situations, and they got outs," Cheff said. "Our approach was real good today."