L-C holds off Pirates; Warriors take a pair from Whitworth, 5-0 and 4-3

By JIM BROWITT
of the Tribune

Offensive outbursts were conspicuously rare Saturday at Harris Field, for one game let alone two. When it came to multi-run innings over the afternoon-evening doubleheader, Lewis-Clark State mustered only a pair.

But Whitworth was even less animated at the plate.

Aside from a for-naught rally at the tail end of the day, L-C pitchers kept the Pirates entirely under wraps. The Warriors carved out 5-0 and 4-3 decisions that upped their winning streak to 13 games and pushed them past the 40-victory plateau for the 26th consecutive season.

L-C, 41-6 and the NAIA's top-ranked team, managed just 17 hits on the day, none of which came from Joey Dyche. After going 0-for-3 in the opener to end a hitting streak at 15 games, the marvelous center fielder sat out the ensuing contest, leaving him at an even .500, still ahead of the school's 22-year-old record for season batting average.

Not that these lulls mattered much. Four Warriors, the hub being Chris Kissock (four shutout relief innings, three hits, two strikeouts), combined on a seven-hitter in the opener, L-C's eighth shutout this spring.

And a similar pitching configuration in the second game -- Derrick Landavazo (four perfect innings, six strikeouts) was the featured individual here -- produced a four-hitter.

"By and large, we pitched very well," said Warrior coach Ed Cheff, whose team's earned run average stands at 2.18, another threat to a longtime program record. "Things got a little sloppy (in the ninth inning of the nightcap), but that really hasn't happened all year."

Nate Kuhns, who relieved Landavazo to start the sixth and worked three sharp innings, stammered in the ninth. He walked leadoff hitter Dan Gebbers and, after a Nick Froman single, walked Danny Pecka to load the bases.

At that point Jason Garcia was summoned from the bullpen. After Kyle Henderson greeted him with an RBI single through the right side, Garcia got the inning's first out by inducing Joel Evans into a sacrifice fly.

With the potential tying run at second base, Garcia got Riley Hunter to fly out to center then struck out pinch hitter Jason Martin on three straight pitches to pocket the save, his second.

After Whitworth got on the board with one run in the first off starter Brad Davis, L-C scored twice in the bottom of the inning by way of a two-base throwing error following Justin Fuller's infield single and Allen Balmer's sacrifice fly.

Jose Castenon had an RBI single in the fourth and Balmer an RBI infield single in the seventh.

Balmer belted his fourth home run -- first from the right side of the plate -- in the opener, a solo shot in the ninth inning. But Matt Vogel delivered that game's most consequential hit, smacking his first home run, a three-run drive in the sixth.

Whitworth, 19-17, an NCAA Division III team that will close out its season today in a game against the Warriors beginning at noon, got complete-game pitching efforts from Dan Lundeberg and Cody Person.

NOTES -- Both L-C starters, Carlos Fisher and Davis, threw just one inning apiece. Cheff intends to start the two in the Warriors' games Tuesday and Wednesday at Gonzaga and Washington State, respectively. ... Kissock (5-1) and Landavazo (6-1) were awarded the victories. ... Senior designated hitter-first baseman Brandon Morris sat out both games with back spasms. ... Junior outfielder Antoine McLeod rejoined the team, seeing action in both games. McLeod was suspended two weeks ago for an unspecified violation of team rules. Cheff said Nic Benton, a sophomore outfielder who was suspended along with McLeod, will not rejoin the team this spring.