CALDWELL – A pair of passed balls and Josh Ashenbrenner’s RBI single in the top of the ninth inning accounted for two runs and relief pitcher Tyrell Poggemeyer induced a game-ending double play to help the Lewis-Clark State College baseball team capture a 5-4 win over the College of Idaho on Thursday in the fifth and final regular-season meeting between the two.
LCSC, which has now won 10 straight against the Yotes and 20 of the last 21 meetings, improves to 21-2 overall. College of Idaho, which also lost Wednesday’s game at home 10-7, falls to 19-9.
The Warriors needed some last-inning heroics after the Yotes scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to tie the contest at 3.
LCSC’s Gino Casini greeted reliever Bobby Wassmann with a single to open the ninth and went to second on a passed ball. After Kevin Lovelace’s ground out moved Casini to third, pinch-hitter Michael Bush drew a walk. A second passed ball allowed Casini to score and moved Bush to second. Bryan Abrey walked and Ashenbrenner followed with a single to the right side to score Bush. Brian Burke then lined into a double play.
College of Idaho made things interesting in the ninth when Jye Lanphere hit a solo home run to center off LCSC reliever Zach Clanton. After Clanton struck out Jesse Dodd, Tyler Andazola singled to left. Poggemeyer came on to replace Clanton. Jordan Lanman hit a long fly ball to left that LCSC left-fielder Jake Eccles caught while crashing into the wall. He was able to double off Andazola at first after Andazola was running on the play and was past second base when Eccles made the catch.
Clanton, who pitched two-thirds of an inning and allowed two hits and a run with two strikeouts, picked up his first win of the season, while Poggemeyer earned his first save. Wassmann took the loss to fall to 5-2.
The Warriors broke out on top 3-0 in the second inning. Brian Gaylord, who has been on fire at the plate all season, doubled to open the inning and went to third on Pat Murray’s single. Connor Moore’s ground out brought in Gaylord and Lovelace followed with a two-run home run to left field. It was his second home run of the season.
College of Idaho picked up its only run off of LCSC starter Colby Hawk in the third inning when Andazola doubled and scored on a single by Izaac Garsez.
Hawk, a senior right-hander from Boise, had another solid outing for the Warriors. He went seven innings and allowed eight hits and one run. He also struck out six and didn’t allow a walk.
With Tyler Lichty replacing Hawk in the eighth, College of Idaho pushed across two runs on four hits. A double play grounder with the bases loaded allowed the first run to score, while Jarel Lewis added an RBI single.
College of Idaho outhit LCSC 14-7, but the Warriors turned three double plays in the game.
Gaylord and Murray had two hits apiece for LCSC and each scored a run. Ray Santiago had three hits for College of Idaho.
The Warriors will take Friday off before starting a three-game series with the University of British Columbia. The two teams meet in a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday and then in a single game at noon on Sunday, all at Harris Field. Saturday’s twinbill is Dollar Day as admission is $1 and hot dogs, popcorn and pop will all be sold for $1 apiece.
