LEWISTON, Idaho – With the first seven batters reaching base and scoring in the bottom of the first inning, the Lewis-Clark State College baseball team used a big start to roll past Corban University 15-3 during the second day of the Red Lion Tournament at LCSC’s Harris Field on Friday afternoon.
LCSC, 2-0 on the season, led 9-0 after two innings in the battle of teams with the nickname of Warriors, and eventually used 22 players in the game. LCSC first-year coach Gary Picone pulled most of his starters in the third inning.
Corban, which was playing in its season opener, saw starting pitcher Kris Bos fail to record an out as all seven batters he faced reach base, including five with extra-base hits. In all, LCSC had nine of its 16 hits go for extra-bases, including junior Trent Bridges’ first home run in a Warrior uniform.
“I thought we started off with the right approach,” said Picone, who added LCSC was facing a pitcher similar to Thursday’s season opener. “We wanted to have a more consistent approach and I thought we did.”
LCSC had 11 players drive in a run, while all but three batters collected a hit.
LCSC pasted Bos in the first inning when Kevin Lovelace opened with a double and Cody Weiss followed with a bunt single that the Corban third baseman fielded, but threw late and wild to first base. That allowed Lovelace to score and Weiss to take second. Gino Casini, who was a triple short of hitting for the cycle in the Warriors’ 9-2 win over Concordia on Thursday, then tripled to center field and scored on a double by Braxton Miller. Brian Gaylord then tripled to right field and Bridges followed with a walk. Jake Eccles’ double scored Gaylord, and a ground out by Aaron DeGuire scored Bridges. The Warriors then used a walk and a throwing error to load the bases and Casini was hit by a pitch to force in the seventh run.
LCSC made it 9-0 in the second inning when Bridges hit a solo home run to left field and Jason Hague added an RBI single. Bridges, who was just one of two freshmen LCSC signed in 2008, said he was just looking for a pitch to hit on his home run.
“My first at-bat I walked so I was just looking for something over the plate,” he said. “He got the pitch up and on the outer half of the plate and I just went with it.”
Corban picked up a run in the top of the third off of LCSC starter Zach Arneson (1-0) when a pair of walks set up a run-scoring double by Steven Candelaria. Arneson, one of three pitchers LCSC used in the game, went four innings and allowed three hits and three walks with one strikeout. Freshman Carsen Nylund went the next four innings and allowed four hits and two unearned runs. He also walked one and struck out one. Alex Murrieta pitched the final inning.
“Arneson was inconsistent and the freshman Nylund was OK for his first time out,” Picone said.
LCSC added three runs in the fourth when Bryan Abrey, who replaced Casini, singled in a run, while Cody Garner, who replaced Miller, added a two-run double.
Both teams scored twice in the seventh. A fielding error led the way to RBI singles from Candelaria and Steven Blum for Corban, while Lovelace smacked a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the inning.
LCSC’s final run in the eighth came on a solo home run by Lucas Shaw, his first as a Warrior.
Lovelace, who played shortstop, was the only starter to stay in the game and finished 2-for-6 with two RBI and two runs scored. Casini and Garner also drove in a pair of runs, while Shaw and Eccles added two hits apiece.
Candelaria had two hits and two RBI for Corban, while Blum had two hits.
In the early game on Friday, Concordia rallied to defeat College of Idaho 12-10. In the late game, Concordia faced Corban.
Action continues Saturday with three games. Concordia and LCSC meet at 10 a.m., followed by College of Idaho and LCSC at 12:30 p.m. The final game has College of Idaho and Corban at 3 p.m.
The action wraps up Sunday with College of Idaho and Concordia at 11 a.m. and Corban against LCSC at 2 p.m.
