LCSC baseball team improves to 5-0
with 11-0 triumph

  2-22-07 

Chris Kissock and Will Morgan combined on a four-hitter and Mark Thompson and Beau Mills sparked the offense to help the Lewis-Clark State College baseball team defeat Missouri Western State University 11-0 in the opening round of the Guardian Plumbing, Heating, & Air Conditioning Tournament at LCSC’s Harris Field on Thursday. 

In the tournament’s other game, Missouri Western’s Billy Jones gave up six hits through eight innings to help the Griffons defeat St. Martin’s University 4-0. 

The tournament continues Friday with three games as Missouri Western takes on Western Oregon at 10 a.m., followed by LCSC vs. Western Oregon at 1p.m., and LCSC against St. Martin’s at 4 p.m. The four-team round-robin tournament runs through Sunday. 

LCSC, ranked No. 1 in the NAIA preseason poll, ran its record to 5-0 with another dominating performance. LCSC has outscored its opposition 43-5 this season. 
(Mark Thompson, just prior to his fifth-inning RBI double.)

Both Kissock and Morgan again looked strong in their second appearances of the season. Kissock (2-0) gave up four hits and one walk in six innings of work. He also struck out two. He’s allowed only one run in 11 innings this season. Morgan followed up with three scoreless innings, walking one and striking out seven for his second save. Morgan has allowed just one hit and struck out 13 in seven innings of work. 

Thompson, the team’s shortstop, went 4-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored in the leadoff spot, while Beau Mills, a transfer from Fresno State University, picked up his first home run of the season with a two-run blast to right field. He also collected three of the Warriors’ 14 hits in the contest. 

The Warriors picked up two runs in the third on Brent Wyatt’s sacrifice fly and a single by Paul Martin. LCSC then broke the game open in the fifth with four runs as Thompson and Wyatt had RBI singles, while freshman relief pitcher Blake Thomas threw wild on a pickoff attempt to allow two more runs in. 

Missouri Western continued to be its own worst enemy in the sixth, allowing five unearned runs. In all, only four of the Warriors’ 11 runs were earned. Wyatt drove in another run with a sacrifice fly to finish with three RBI, while Mills drilled a line shot over the right field fence to drive in two runs with the Warriors’ second home run of the season. Thompson added an RBI double, while Joey Briggs drove in the other run with a single. 

All four of Missouri Western’s hits were singles. 

In the first game, Missouri Western opened its season on a high note, thanks to eight solid innings from Jones, who walked one and struck out three.  

Brian Munson paced Missouri Western at the plate with three hits and an RBI, while Troy Landi added two hits and two RBI. 

Nate Baker and Curtis Thibault had two hits apiece for St. Martin’s (2-9).