Cal Baptist knocks off top-ranked Warriors 4-3

4-4-07

LEWISTON, Idaho – Kyle Thomas and Brandon Daily combined on a five-hitter to help California Baptist University knock off top-ranked Lewis-Clark State College 4-3 in a nonleague baseball contest at LCSC’s Harris Field on Wednesday night. 

The loss was only the third of the season for the Warriors, who fall to 28-3 overall after having a nine-game win streak snapped. Cal Baptist, which lost 22-8 and 9-0 in the first two games of the series, improves to 25-15 overall. 

The hit total was the second lowest of the season for LCSC, which collected only four hits in an identical 4-3 setback to Gonzaga earlier this season. LCSC has only been held to single digit hit totals in four of its prior 26 games entering Wednesday night. 

Thomas, a senior left-hander and the ace of the Lancers’ staff, pitched six innings and allowed the five hits and three runs, only one of which was earned. He also struck out eight and walked one to improve to 7-2 on the season. Daily, a junior right-hander, followed up with three strong innings. He didn’t allow a hit and struck out three to earn his fourth save. He did hit two batters in the eighth inning, but retired the final five batters he faced to preserve the win. 

LCSC starter Chris Schwinden took the loss to fall to 4-2. He gave up seven hits and four runs in 4.2 innings and struck out three with one walk. Matt Duryea allowed one hit in his 1.2 innings of work, while Will Morgan pitched hitless ball over the final 2.2 innings, striking out five and walking one. 

Both teams left seven runners stranded and had runners thrown out to stop potential rallies. 

The Warriors broke on the scoreboard first with a run in the first when Brent Wyatt doubled and eventually scored on a balk. The Warriors had runners on first and third when coach Ed Cheff put on a delayed double steal. Jesse Roehl, the runner on first, was supposed to get into a run down and allow Paul Martin to score from third. Roehl, however, kept running to second and was tagged out before Martin could score. 

Cal Baptist struck for three runs in the top of the second to jump ahead for the first time in the three-game series. Zachariah Aguirre drew a walk, and Jordan Lowe followed with a single. Wes Shulby singled in Aguirre, and Eric Kryzysiak reached on a fielder’s choice. Jordan Monroe and Brandon Peters followed with run-scoring singles to make it 3-1. 

The Warriors tied it in the third when Wyatt reached on an error and Beau Mills blasted a two-run home run over the scoreboard in right field. The hit stretched Mills’ consecutive game hit streak to 10. 

CBU scored the eventual game-winning run in the fifth when Monroe opened with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Peters. Garrett Gipe’s two-out double allowed Monroe to score. 

CBU threatened in both the sixth and seventh, but was unable to execute sacrifice bunts and had two runners thrown out at third base. 

LCSC’s main scoring threat came in the bottom of the fifth when Travis Georgius doubled and was replaced by courtesy runner Donnie Ecker. Mark Thompson then singled to shallow right field, but Ecker was thrown out easily trying to score by right-fielder Aaron Seuss. The Warriors also had a runner reach third in the sixth, and second base in both the seventh and eighth, but were unable to capitalize. 

Monroe went 3-for-5 to pace CBU’s eight-hit attack, while Wyatt was the only Warrior with more than one hit as he finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored. 

LCSC will open a three-game series against Dixie State on Thursday at 6 p.m. The two teams were scheduled to play a doubleheader on Friday, but it has been changed to a 6 p.m. single game. The series wraps up with a game at 11 a.m. on Saturday.