Warriors Win 14th National Baseball Title
6-3-06

Jose Castenon drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the top of the 11th inning to force in the winning run as Lewis-Clark State College claimed its 14th national baseball title by defeating Cumberland University 5-4 in the championship game of the 50th annual Avista NAIA World Series on Friday night. 

The Warriors, who finished
 Photo by John Roy                                                                                                             the season at 47-8, capture the title before a hometown crowd of 5,480, the largest to see a Series game in Lewiston. That also pushed the total attendance for the Series to more than 43,000, which is an all-time Series record. 

Friday’s contest was delayed at the start by 40 minutes because of a rain storm that hit the area Friday afternoon. 

LCSC and Cumberland, which winds up 51-18, put on a show in the title game with numerous defensive plays, power hitting and impressive pitching late in the game. LCSC’s third pitcher, Shannon Wirth, threw five innings of hitless ball after Cumberland collected 12 hits in the first six innings. Wirth walked three and struck out seven to pick up the win and finish 7-1 on the season. 

After Cumberland scored a run in the bottom of the sixth to tie the contest at 4-4, neither team could score until the 11th. That’s when Mark Thompson started the rally by being hit a pitch, one of nine hit batters in the game. Matt Vogel singled Thompson to third and then stole second base. With first base open, Cumberland elected to intentionally walk Series MVP Allen Balmer to load the bases. Castenon then drew a full-count walk to force in the decisive run. 

The single by Thompson was the only hit in the final five innings by either team. 

Cumberland’s Courtney Propst was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the 11th and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After Alberto Cruz walked, Angel Mercado struck out and Nolan McCue hit a grounder to third, which Balmer fielded and touched the base for the force out, sending LCSC players into a dog pile celebration near the pitcher’s mound. 

LCSC, which was ranked No. 1 in the NAIA for the entire season, lost its opener in the 10-team double-elimination tournament, but won five straight do-or-die games to capture its 14th crown since 1984. Cumberland was playing in only its second title game after winning the Series in 2004. 

Cumberland gained the upper hand early in the game when Dorian Rojas hit a solo home run in the first and Propst hit a solo shot in the third. Mercado also had an RBI single in the third as Cumberland led 3-1 after three innings. 

LCSC battled back with a run in the fifth on a solo home run by Justin Fuller to lead off the inning, while Mark Thompson’s two-run single in the top of the sixth put LCSC ahead 4-3. 

Cumberland tied the score in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single by Rojas. 

Matt Vogel had three hits for LCSC, while Fuller and Jessie Roehl had two apiece. Rojas had three hits, two RBI and two runs scored for Cumberland, while Propst and Mercado added two hits and an RBI apiece. 

Cumberland starter Zach Whitmer gave up 10 hits and four runs in 5.2 innings and walked two. Reliever Adam Tomlinson allowed only one hit during the final 5.1 innings. Tomlinson walked three and struck out five. 

LCSC starter Austin Weilep allowed six hits and three runs in 2.1 innings, while Mike Miller went 3.2 innings and gave up six hits, but just one run. 

Both teams left 14 runners on base. 

The contest was the fifth title game to go into extra innings and the first since 1986 when Grand Canyon defeated LCSC 6-5.