REDDING, Calif. – Senior Austin Pentecost took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and allowed just one hit in seven innings of work, as the Lewis-Clark State College baseball team rolled to a 7-3 win over Simpson University on Friday.

The only hit the 6-foot-2 right-hander surrendered was a ground ball that squeaked through the right side of the infield.

“Pentecost was good. He controlled the game,” said LCSC head coach Gary Picone. “He had good command and could throw all his pitches for strikes. He’s getting better each time out.”

Pentecost, who improves to 4-1 overall in six starts so far this year, retired the first nine batters he faced. On the day, he threw 94 pitches, struck out six, walked two, and surrendered one unearned run.

The Warriors are now 16-5 overall and 7-2 in the NAIA West. Simpson and LCSC continue their four-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at noon.

LCSC scored the bulk of its runs on Friday in two of the middle innings.

With a walk and three hits, including a two-run double by Alfonos Casillas, the Warriors plated three runs and took a 4-0 lead in the fifth.

In the sixth, Billy Silvestri hit a leadoff double and was brought in to score on a sac fly by Mitchell Wilhite. And Aaron DeGuire followed with a solo home run to right-center to push the lead to 6-0. It was DeGuire’s third blast of the season.

Warrior leadoff hitter Jordan Payne initially got the team on the board in the third inning thanks to a double to left followed by an RBI single by Trent Bridges. Payne, a senior transfer who has started 15 games in center field so far this season, was 4-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI, and his 10th stolen base of the year.

“I thought Payne was probably our best hitter today,” said Picone. “And when he gets on base we have a good chance to score runs.”

The Warriors had 10 hits in the game and left 10 men on base.

The loss dips Simpson to 10-11 overall and 1-4 in league play.