LEWISTON, Idaho – Paul Martin, Rene Escobar and Kris Miller all hit home runs while starting pitcher Colby Hawk retired all nine batters he faced to start the game to help the Lewis-Clark State College baseball team roll past St. Martin’s 10-2 at LCSC’s Harris Field on Sunday night.
The Warriors, 37-13 on the season, had six of their 11 hits go for extra bases in the contest, while three pitchers combined on a seven-hitter.
Martin, Escobar, and Miller finished with two RBI apiece as the Warriors scored four runs in the fourth and two apiece in the fifth and sixth to break open the contest.
St. Martin’s, 22-28 overall, hurt itself with three errors, which led to only half of LCSC’s runs being earned.
LCSC coach Ed Cheff changed up the Warrior lineup as he and his coaching staff will have to cur the roster to 24 players for next week’s Avista NAIA World Series. The Warriors pitchers also were on a set rotation for Sunday as Hawk went the first three innings and was perfect before giving way to Tyler Knigge.
The Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the first when Kawika Emsley-Pai was hit by a pitch with two outs and scored on a double to right by Ben Ornelas.
St. Martin’s tied the game in the top of the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Andy Cole and Shane Schoeneberg, but LCSC answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning.
An error allowed Ornelas to reach first to start the inning and Escobar hit a two-run home run with one out to right-center field. Consecutive singles by Miller, Crispin Tarango and Danny Anguiano loaded the bases. Martin hit a sacrifice fly to score the third run, while a fielding error made it 5-1.
The Warriors added two in the fifth when Sean Halton reached on an error and Miller hit a two-out two-run home run to left.
St. Martin’s Ryan DiMascio hit a solo home run to make it 7-2 in the top of the sixth, but the Warrior countered with two more in the bottom of the inning when Emsley-Pai ripped an RBI triple to left-center field and later scored on a single by Halton.
LCSC’s final run came in the eighth inning when Martin his a solo home run to left. It was his seventh home run of the season.
Knigge, who allowed two hits and a run in 1.1 innings with three strikeouts, earned the win to improve to 3-3 on the season. Zach Clanton, who allowed five hits and one run over the final 4.2 innings, earned his second save of the season.
Kevin Jones, the first of four St. Martin’s pitchers, took the loss.
The two teams continue their three-game series to wrap up the regular season on Monday night at 6 p.m. The contest is both Scholarship Night and Roger Adams Memorial Game for LCSC and no season or any other passes will be honored for the game, which serves as a fundraiser for the LCSC baseball program. Adams, a long-time announcer and supporter of Warrior athletics who passed away last year, also will be honored during the game.
