With March quickly evaporating and the
season's halfway point about a week
away, the value of a lopsided victory is
becoming negligible for Lewis-Clark
State.
The Warriors have already gorged
themselves with routs. Of their 19 wins,
only four have featured margins of four
runs or less.
So Thursday's 5-4 decision over
California Baptist at Harris Field did
more for L-C than simply push its
winning streak to 11 games.
"It's good to see how guys react in
pressure situations," said Warrior coach
Ed Cheff, whose ballclub, now 19-4,
scored less than seven runs for just the
fifth time this spring. "You look for
guys who can come through in games where
one play can make the difference."
For virtually all of Thursday's
contest, the last in a six-game series
between these schools, the circumstances
were indeed that sensitive. Neither team
advanced a baserunner into scoring
position in the first four innings, they
put up one run apiece in the sixth, and
both had two players thrown out
attempting to steal second.
Even after L-C appeared to break
things open with its four-run flurry in
the bottom of the eighth, Cal Baptist
re-established the tension with a
similar rally in the ninth. The Lancers
scored three times, and left what would
have been the tying run at third.
"A loss is a loss; we didn't come
here with the idea of just trying to
compete," said Cal Baptist coach Gary
Adcock, whose team dropped to 8-15-1
with its sixth consecutive defeat, all
coming against L-C. "We played well, but
we made some costly mistakes."
The most detrimental blunders came in
rapid succession and from a single
source -- pitcher Aaron Hartsock. Having
relieved Lancer starter Ross Stout in
the sixth, Hartsock walked Justin Fuller
to open the eighth then gave up a single
to Allen Balmer. After Brandon Morris
flew out and Jose Castenon went down on
strikes, Brandon Ramsey laced a double
down the left-field line, scoring
Fuller.
Per Adcock's instruction, Hartsock
intentionally walked Joey Dyche to load
the bases and bring Gavin Concepcion to
bat. He struck out Concepcion on a pitch
that bounced in front of the plate,
skipping far enough away from catcher
Joey Hendricks that Concepcion reached
and Balmer scored from third.
Hartsock's next delivery, to Ryan
Stevenson, was also in the dirt and
likewise got past Hendricks, allowing
Ramsey to score. Three pitches later,
Hartsock uncorked another wild one, and
Dyche scored.
Of small consolation to Hartsock
(2-3), Stevenson ultimately struck out.
Jason Garcia (3-0), who relieved L-C
starter Brad Davis to start the eighth,
gave up three runs on as many hits in
the ninth, although Cal Baptist only got
one ball out of the infield. A groundout
by Jordan Monroe pushed across the third
run and put Chris Walters at third base,
but the subsequent batter, Ryan Wigley,
grounded out to shortstop Matt Vogel to
end the game.
Davis' seven-inning stint, during
which he yielded six hits and struck out
one, was his longest of the season.
"We pitched well, and I thought we
did some good things at the plate,"
Cheff said. "By the looks of it we
didn't do all that much (L-C had 10
hits), but we took some good swings and
just ended up hitting balls right at
people."
NOTES -- The Warriors begin a
three-game series with St. Martin's
today at Harris Field. Game time is 6
p.m. Senior right-hander Sal Aguiliar
(3-0, 4.34 ERA) is slated to make the
start for L-C. ... The Warriors were
ranked second in the season's first NAIA
Top 25. L-C drew two first-place votes
and 566 points, 41 behind No. 1
Cumberland (26-6), the defending
national champion. Embry-Riddle (30-2),
Bellevue (21-6) and Houston Baptist
(19-5) round out the top five
