LEWISTON, Idaho – The Lewis-Clark State College baseball team pounded out 33 hits in a doubleheader sweep of Oregon Tech on Friday at Harris Field as the Warriors extended their winning streak to six games with 13-3 and 8-2 victories.
Brady Steiger went 6-for-7 with a homer and a double in the twinbill, raising his team-high batting average to .459, and Garrett Wilson tossed his second consecutive complete game in the nightcap.
“What I saw today was really good team baseball,” Warrior coach Jeremiah Robbins said. “Our offense picked up Anthony (Armanino) in the first game, and some of our bench guys extended the lead a little bit. In the second game, a few guys had clutch knocks. Our guys are doing a good job of sticking with our plan and they got a good reward today.”
Armanino didn’t have his best stuff in his Game 1 start, but still earned the victory with six innings of work. He allowed three runs – one earned on seven hits, walking three and striking out five. All of the runs against him came in the second inning.
“Anthony pitched in some really close games earlier in the season where the offense didn’t pick him up like they did today,” Robbins said. “He still found a way to compete, but those days will happen where your top guy doesn’t have his best stuff.”
LCSC answered Oregon Tech’s run in the top of the first inning with six in the bottom of the frame, keyed by Brian Corliss’ two-run single with the bases loaded. Cody Lavalli, Kyle Knigge and Zach Holley also had RBIs in the inning for the Warriors.
The Owls scored two more runs in the top of the second off Armanino, but the Warriors came right back in the bottom of the frame with three more, with a hit by Corliss again the big blow. Corliss, who was 4-for-5 with five RBI in the game, hit a line drive single to center field that was bobbled by Jared Nelson, allowing Corliss to reach second.
The game stayed at 9-3 for six innings until the Warriors put up four insurance runs against Owl reliever Darian Benanua in the eighth. Stephan Adams, Corliss and Tariq Staton drove in those runs for the 13-3 final score.
Steve Thompson worked three innings of scoreless, one-hit relief of Armanino to close out Oregon Tech.
In the nightcap, the Lewis-Clark State bats picked up right where they left off, and Garrett Wilson continued his masterful work on the mound.
Just a week after tossing a complete-game victory over Menlo College, the right-hander from Anaheim, Calif. held the Owls to just two earned runs on eight hits over 104 pitches on Friday.
After giving up single runs in the first and third innings, Wilson allowed just three hits and no runs over the next six frames.
“I struggled through the first four, but then I had a pretty good fastball-slider combination working,” said Wilson, who improved to 5-0 and lowered his earned run average to 0.81 with the victory. “Our coaches always expect guys to go deep into games, and when you have a chance for a complete game you just run with it.”
LCSC rapped out 17 hits against two Oregon Tech pitchers in the nightcap, and Steiger and Lavalli each homered for the Warriors.
“The whole team has just seemed more relaxed at the plate, and I know that’s true for me,” Steiger said. “I’ve just trying to see a good pitch and things have been going well for me and the team.”
The Warriors will look to extend their winning streak with another doubleheader against Oregon Tech on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. It’s Dollar Day at the ballpark, where admission, hot dogs, popcorn and soft drinks will all cost just $1.
LCSC then heads out on a weeklong trip to Florida on Sunday.
