LCSC holds on to beat Concordia 4-3

5-10-07 

CALDWELL, Idaho – Paul Martin’s RBI double highlighted a four-run third inning and the Lewis-Clark State College baseball team made that stand by claiming a 4-3 win over Concordia University of Portland in the opening round of the Region I Tournament at Albertson College’s Simplot Stadium on Thursday. 

The Warriors, the top-ranked NAIA team, improved to 49-4 and will play the winner of Thursday’s late game between No. 2 seed Albertson and No. 3 seed British Columbia, on Friday at 11:30 a.m. Pacific time. Concordia, 17-30 overall, will play the Albertson-British Columbia loser at 8 a.m. Friday morning. The final game on Friday will have the 8 a.m. winner and 11:30 a.m. loser meet at 3 p.m. The championship game will be on Saturday. 

The eventual champion will travel to California next week to face the Region II champion in a best-of-three Super Regional series. The site will be the home field of the Region II champion, which will either be Azusa Pacific (Azusa) or Concordia (Irvine). 

Despite Thursday’s win, the Warriors were a little lackluster at the plate. LCSC left 12 runners stranded on base and couldn’t capitalize on most of its scoring opportunities in defeating Concordia for the ninth time this season. 

LCSC also has some cause for concern in the game as winning pitcher Mike Miller (5-0) left the game with two outs in the sixth inning with an apparent injury. Miller allowed six hits and three runs, and struck out three. The extent of Miller’s injury is unknown. 

Brian Parker pitched the remainder of the game to earn his team-high seventh save. He struck out seven and allowed only one hit to preserve the win.  

The Warriors collected four of their 11 hits in the third inning. Mark Thompson was hit by a pitch to start the inning, stole second and went to third on a ground out by Brent Wyatt. After Beau Mills was intentionally walked, Jessie Mier singled to center to score Thompson. Courtesy runner Donnie Ecker took Mier’s place on first and intentionally put himself in a rundown, which allowed Mills to score. After a walk to Kyle Greene, Martin drove him in with a double and then scored on a single by Zach Evangelho. 

The Warriors left at least one baserunner stranded in each of the eight innings they batted in, including the bases loaded in the eighth. 

The No. 4 seeded Cavaliers tallied three runs in the fifth to make the game interesting. Kyle Waterland laced a two-run double off the center-field wall and Cody Herrick added an RBI single.

Martin went 3-for-3 in the win for L-C, while Mier, Evangelho and Ryan Wholey added two hits apiece. Mills went 1-for-2 with three walks.

The Warriors stole five bases in the game, including two by Thompson, who now has 35 on the season.

Waterland went 3-for-4, all doubles, for Concordia.