Winning streak fends off Coyote scare
Copyright The Trib
Lewis-Clark State didn't flex its offensive
muscle Sunday, or put on a forceful pitching
display. And its fielders hadn't struggled
like this in more than two weeks.
But the Warriors again showed they can
produce in a pinch, using a late-inning
rally to overtake Albertson 8-7 at Harris
Field in the finale of a four-game,
two-venue series.
Paul Martin's two-run double in the
seventh and a subsequent two-run homer by
Jose Castenon ultimately directed L-C to its
24th consecutive victory, the program's
second-longest winning streak since 1971.
The school record of 27, set in 1986, can
be matched and surpassed this week as the
top-ranked Warriors, 35-3, play Whitworth on
Tuesday at home then travel to Orem, Utah,
for a three-game series with Utah Valley
State beginning Thursday.
Albertson, 25-16, lost its fifth straight
to L-C. It beat the Warriors 6-3 in the
season's first meeting between the two, on
Feb. 24.
The Coyotes outhit L-C 13-8, with five of
those coming in a five-run fifth that gave
them a 5-4 lead.
The Warriors offered no response until
the seventh, when Paul Erickson (1-1) issued
a leadoff walk to Justin Fuller and then put
Jessie Mier on with four straight balls.
After a flyout by Allen Balmer that moved
Fuller to third and a stolen base by Antoine
McLeod, courtesy running for Mier, Martin
laced gap double to left-center. It was the
freshman's third hit of the afternoon.
Six pitches later, Castenon belted his
first home run of the season, also to
left-center.
Albertson scored twice on as many hits in
the ninth -- both were unearned as a result
of a dropped third strike that allowed
Charlie Strandlund to reach. But Jeff Duda
(2-0) induced a game-ending groundout from
Luke Howarth, leaving the potential tying
run at second base.
Duda, the third Warrior pitcher, went the
final four innings, allowing four hits and
the two unearned runs while striking out
three.
L-C starter Chris Kissock (four runs,
three earned, on seven hits) was chased
during Albertson's fifth-inning rally. Chris
Palma was relieved by Duda after walking the
leadoff batter in the sixth.
The Warriors committed two errors; they
hadn't had more than one in the previous
eight games.
L-C, which drew a season-high 10 walks,
turned the first two into first-inning runs.
Fuller picked up one with an RBI single,
while Mier's sacrifice fly pushed across the
other.
Mier smacked his third home run, a solo
shot, in the third, and Castenon followed
with an RBI double.
Matt Vogel and Paul Thompson both went
hitless, ending hitting streaks of 13 and 11
games, respectively. |
