Lester, Mills, and Fitts help Warriors bag up
Albertson 8-2

 5-11-07 

CALDWELL, Idaho – At the start of the week, it was unsure if Lewis-Clark State College’s Ikaika Lester was healthy enough to play in the Region I tournament. Although he’s still not 100 percent, he certainly was good enough on Friday. 

Lester drove in three runs, Beau Mills set the Warrior single-season home run record and Matt Fitts struck out nine in seven innings, all to help LCSC roll past Albertson College 9-2 to move into the championship game of the four-team double-elimination tournament. The Warriors will play the winner of Friday’s late game between Albertson and Concordia at 11 a.m. Pacific time on Saturday for the title. If LCSC should lose that game, a second one will follow. 

The eventual winner will take on Azusa Pacific in a best-of-three series next week in Azusa, Calif. Azusa Pacific is the NAIA’s second-ranked team, while LCSC is ranked No. 1. Even if Azusa Pacific should lose, it is guaranteed an at-large berth to 51st annual Avista NAIA World Series, which will be held May 25-June 1 at Lewiston’s Harris Field. 

Friday’s win also was the 50th of the season for LCSC, a feat that Warrior coach Ed Cheff has accomplished 17 times in his 31 years at the helm. 

Lester, who has seen limited duty for the past few weeks because of an injury, has enjoyed a big season at the plate when healthy. His two-run double in the sixth broke the game open to give LCSC a 6-1 lead. 

Mills, a junior third-baseman, hit a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the second inning for his 31st home run of the season. The previous record of 30 was set by Jim O’Dell during the 1984 season. Mills finished 1-for-2 with two runs scored. He now has 98 hits on the season to go along with 105 RBI (Click the link below to view LCSC's all-time hitting records http://www.lcsc.edu/athletics/Baseball/Miscellaneous/BBHISIndRecBatting.htm). 

Fitts, LCSC’s No. 2 pitcher this season, showed he’s ready for the postseason with seven strong innings. He allowed just three hits and one earned run, along with four walks. Will Morgan pitched the final two innings and retired six of the seven batters he faced, including three by strikeouts. 

After Albertson picked up a run in the top of the second on Jacob Garsez’s RBI single, the Warriors answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Mills homered to tie the game, and Kyle Greene singled and scored on a double by Jessie Mier. 

LCSC, 50-4 overall while Albertson is 30-16, added two more in the fourth when Mills was hit by a pitch, Paul Martin walked, and Greene singled to load the bases. Mier and Lester followed with sacrifice flies to drive in a run apiece. 

In the sixth, singles by Greene and Mier set up Lester’s two-run double. 

An error helped Albertson score a run in the top of the seventh, but LCSC countered with two runs in the bottom of the inning for an 8-2 lead. Mark Thompson started the rally with a bunt single and scored on a double by Zach Evangelho. After advancing to third on a fly out, Evangelho scored on a ground out by Martin. 

The Warriors, who left 12 stranded on base in its tournament-opening 4-3 win over Concordia on Thursday, were much more efficient in Friday’s contest, leaving only four runners on base. 

Greene finished 3-for-4 with a run scored, while Mier was 2-for-4 with two RBI. 

LCSC is 9-0 against Albertson this season. 

Earlier Friday, Concordia eliminated British Columbia 6-0.