LEWISTON, Idaho – Untimely errors foiled a pretty good night at the plate for the Lewis-Clark State College baseball team on Friday. The Warriors pounded 13 hits including three home runs, but four errors helped the College of Idaho take the NAIA West Division game by a final score of 10-9.
Lewis-Clark State is now 18-6 overall and 9-3 in league play, while the College of Idaho is 18-6 and 4-1. The four-game series will continue with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, and then finish up with a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday.
Friday’s game began with an exchange of blasts as Coyote first baseman Jarel Lewis connected for a three-run home run to right-center in the top of the first. LCSC responded with two two-run home runs in the bottom of the inning, one by Alfonso Casillas (his seventh of the season) and one by Kyle Knigge (third).
With the score 4-3, Izaac Garsez hit a triple down the right-field line to plate two runs and put the Coyotes back in front in the second inning.
From here the College of Idaho continued to add on, but not without help by the Warriors’ season-high-tying four errors.
A dropped fly ball by the leftfielder loaded the bases for the Coyotes in the third. And then two outs later, a misplayed grounder by the third baseman brought in a run. This was followed by a walk to score another and give the Coyotes a 7-4 lead.
Thanks to a solid offensive showing, led by a 4-for-5 performance by Trent Bridges, the Warriors were able to fight their way back into the game. Bridges plated one run in the fifth with an RBI single and Braxton Miller hit a solo homer in the sixth (fifth of the year).
In the seventh, with an RBI triple by Bridges followed by a sac fly by Casillas, the Warriors scored two more runs to cut the Coyotes’ lead to 9-8.
The College of Idaho threatened in the eighth, but Zach Clanton entered the inning in relief and got out of a bases loaded jam with a strikeout and a fly out.
In the ninth, two more errors by LCSC resulted in the Coyotes scoring, what ended up to be, a much needed insurance run. First a throwing error by the shortstop put the leadoff man aboard and on second. A ground out advanced the runner to third, and for the next batter the Warriors moved their infielders in to try and stop the runner from coming home. A groundball was hit firmly at the second baseman and the ball squeaked under his glove to score the run.
Bridges hit a leadoff double and scored in the ninth, but it was too little too late.
College of Idaho ace Chad Yeggy took the win to improve to 5-0. He went six innings, struck out one and surrendered nine hits and six runs. Todd Griffiths faced only the final batter of the game and threw four pitches to pick up the save.
Starter Anthony Armanino took the loss for the Warriors as he threw three innings, struck out seven, and surrender seven runs—five of them earned. It was his first loss of the season as he now stands at 3-1. Garrett Tygerson and Zach Clanton pitched the final six innings and held the Coyotes to three runs (two earned).
The Coyotes finished with 10 hits in the game including four from catcher Jesse Dodd. Garsez and Zachary Fabricius had two hits apiece, as did LCSC’s Jordan Payne and Connor Moore.
