Warriors make program history; run over Corban 13-0

4-18-08

LEWISTON, Idaho – With a 13-0 win over Corban College on a blustery Friday night at Harris Field, the Lewis-Clark State College baseball recorded its fourth straight shutout—the most consecutive shutout games in Warrior history. 

In all, the Warriors have gone a program record 38 innings without giving up a run (Southeastern Oklahoma holds the all-time NAIA record of 48 consecutive scoreless innings). The past four games LCSC has outscored its opponents 39-0. 

With five of their last six games being won by shutout pitching, the Warriors have extended their winning streak to nine, and improved their overall record to 38-4. Corban, now 0-4 this year against the defending national champions, drops to 9-23. 

Coach Cheff has now reached 38 wins in all 32 years of being at the Warrior helm, with his worst season coming in 1979 when his team went a mediocre, by LCSC baseball standards, 38-15-1.   

Two former Lewiston Bengals, Nick Masters and Tyler Knigge (shown above) combined for the nine inning shutout. Masters, who started the game, threw six innings and recorded five strikeouts to earn the win, and Knigge struck out three in his three innings of work to earn his first save of the year. Corban was held to only four hits.  

Not to be outdone by their own pitching staff, the Warriors at the plate continue to dominate opposing pitchers and Corban’s pitching staff has not been an exception. Averaging 9.9 runs a game this year, and with a 13 run total on Friday, LCSC has now outscored Corban 51-8 in the four meetings the teams have had this year. 

Going 3-5 with five RBI in Thursday’s game against Whitworth, Josh Ashenbrenner again kept the Warriors offense in motion by hitting 3-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored against Corban. Paul Martin, Mickey Pingree, and Nic Benton also chipped in two hits apiece.  

Despite blasting six home runs in Thursday game, LCSC found different ways to score on Friday.

In a four run second inning, a two-run double from Benton, multiple walks, and Brent Wyatt stealing home highlighted the Warriors’ first offensive attack. In the third, an Ashenbrenner walk, back-to-back singles by Pingree and Benton, and a Corban error extended the lead to 6-0. The Warriors then plated Pingree in the fifth via a Martin sacrifice fly to add on one more run. 

In the seventh, two more walks and a Brian Ward double brought two runs across the plate, and in the eighth, two more Corban errors and three Warrior hits brought the final score to 13-0.

The series continues on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at noon.