Mills helps Warriors roll past Albertson 13-4

4-20-07 

Beau Mills hit his team-leading 22nd home run of the season to help the No.1-ranked Lewis-Clark State College baseball team defeat No. 21 Albertson 13-4 in a Region I contest at Lewiston's Harris Field on Friday night. 

The win was the eighth straight for the Warriors, who improve to 36-3 on the season and 16-1 in Region I play. LCSC also is 6-0 this season against Albertson, 24-11 overall and 14-8 in Region I. 

Mills, who was named the NAIA's Player of the Week last week, stretched his consecutive game hit streak to 18. He went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. He also walked in his other at-bat. 

LCSC pitcher Chris Kissock, a junior right-hander, overcame a rough start to improve to 10-0 on the season. Kissock gave up three runs in the first two innings as Albertson grabbed a 3-1 lead, but LCSC answered with at least one run in each of the first seven innings, including a six-run sixth inning that put the game away. 

Kissock went six innings and allowed four hits and four runs, three of which were earned. He also struck out five and walked five. Brian Parker pitched the final three innings and allowed one hit and one walk. He also struck out four. 

Casey Oliver put Albertson ahead 2-0 in the first with a two-run home run, but Mills hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first. Albertson's Tyler Smith countered with a solo blast in the top of the second to make it 3-1. 

LCSC scored solo runs in the second, third, and fourth innings for a 4-3 lead. RBI singles by Jesse Roehl and Kyle Melton drove in two of the runs, while the other run scored on a doubleplay ground out. 

LCSC scored twice in the fifth on a two-run home run by Paul Martin, his first of the season, but Albertson answered with an RBI single by Richie Snider in the top of the sixth to make it 6-4. 

Albertson went to the bullpen in the sixth, but the moved proved costly. A single by Zach Evangelho, one of only two Warrior hits in the inning, and walks to Mark Thompson and Brent Wyatt loaded the bases with one out. a balk brought in the first run, and after Mills was intentionally walked to reload the bases, a wild pitch brought in the second run. Jessie Mier added a sacrifice fly RBI, and a dropped fly ball allowed two more runs to score. The final run scored on a bases-loaded walk to Mike Rivera. 

Mills added an RBI single in the seventh to complete the scoring. 
(Paul Martin, congratulated by Coach Cheff, after his first home run of 2007)

Kyle Green added two hits for LCSC, while Martin went 1-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored. Wyatt also scored twice. 

Oliver led Albertson with two hits. 

The two teams meet again Saturday at 2 p.m. and conclude the three-game series with a noon game on Sunday.

(Mark Thompson tags out would-be-base-stealer Adam Roach in the first inning. LCSC catcher, Jessie Mier, threw out two Albertson runners and picked-off a third.)