Kissock helps Warriors roll past Cougars 12-1

 3-3-07

Junior right-hander Chris Kissock tossed a three-hitter and Mark Thompson and Beau Mills both hit home runs to help Lewis-Clark State College remain undefeated in both the 52nd annual SPORT Banana Belt Baseball Tournament and on the season as the Warriors rolled past Washington State 12-1 at LCSC’s Harris Field on Saturday. 

The Warriors improved to 12-0 on the season, their second-best start in school history behind the 17-0 start in 1991, and 3-0 in the tournament.  LCSC and Gonzaga will square off in the final game of the tournament on Sunday at 2 p.m. with the title on the line. 

WSU, 6-4 overall, finishes the tournament at 3-1, while Utah Valley is 1-2 and Southern Utah 0-3. Air Force finished play at 0-4. Utah Valley and Southern Utah will meet at 10 a.m.  to begin Sunday’s play. 

The Warriors ended a two-game losing streak to the Cougars with a dominating performance. LCSC has had only one game decided by six runs or less this year and has outscored the opposition 120-24. 

(Mark Thompson congratulated after his first inning,
leadoff homerun)

Kissock, who entered the game with a 0.69 earned run average, gave up one unearned run to improve to 3-0 on the season and lower his ERA 0.41. He walked two and struck out six in the first complete game by a Warrior pitcher this season. 

The Cougars picked up their only run in the third inning to make it a 2-1 ballgame when Jim Murphy reached on an error and scored on a triple by Paul Gran. Travis Coulter and Greg Lagreid added doubles as all three Cougar hits went for extra bases. 

The Warriors took the lead for good just two pitches into the bottom of the first inning when Thompson hit his second home run in as many days. The solo shot to center field also gives him two home runs on the season. 

A bases-loaded walk to Paul Martin forced in a run in the third inning, but a double play helped WSU escape a bases-loaded jam. The Cougars then picked up their lone run and appeared to have momentum on their side, but the Warrior defense responded with double plays over the next two innings to get Kissock out of potential jams. 

The Warriors picked up two runs in the sixth when Mills crushed his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot to deep right field. Jessie Mier reached first on a single, and advanced around the bases on three wild pitches by WSU reliever Jayson Miller, the second of six Cougar pitchers. 

LCSC broke the game open in the seventh with three runs for an 7-1 lead. Martin had an RBI single and Mier forced in a run on a bases-loaded walk. Ryan Anderson’s sacrifice fly brought in the final run of the inning. 

LCSC then sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the eighth and pushed across five runs. An error brought in the first run, while Mills added an RBI single. Mier doubled in another, while Anderson singled in two more to finish the game with a team-leading three RBI despite not entering the game until the seventh inning. Martin, Mills, and Mier, the Nos. 3-5 hitters, had two RBI and two runs apiece, and went a combined 5-of-11 at the plate. Zach Evangelho and Thompson also has two hits apiece for LCSC.

(Chris Kissock throwing in the second inning versus WSU)