This Week In Warrior Athletics

March 26, 2007

EVENTS: 

Baseball: at Gonzaga, Tuesday, March 27, 3 p.m., Spokane;  vs. Oregon Tech Lewiston’s Harris Field, Friday-Saturday. Friday, March 30, 6 p.m. single game. Saturday, March 31, noon doubleheader.

Men’s tennis – at Boise State University Invitational – vs. University of San Francisco, Thursday, March 29, 9 a.m.; vs. Montana or Ball State, Thursday, March 29, 1 p.m. Also matches TBA on Friday, March 30, and Saturday, March 31.

Women’s tennis – vs. Montana, 4 p.m., Thursday, March 29, 4 p.m., LCSC Tennis Center; vs. Weber State, Saturday, March 31, 11 a.m., Boise; vs. Albertson College, either Saturday, March 31, or Sunday, April 1, TBA. 

Baseball: 

The Warriors will try to avenge on of their two losses this season when the team travels to Spokane to take on Gonzaga on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

LCSC, 22-2 overall and ranked No. 1 in the NAIA, lost to the Bulldogs 4-3 in what turned out to be the championship game of the SPORT Banana Belt Baseball Tournament at Lewiston’s Harris Field on March 4. These are the only two times these teams will meet this year.

Gonzaga is 16-13 on the season and will open West Coast Conference play on Friday in a three-game series against No. 21 University of San Diego. Despite its record, Gonzaga is hitting .277, while opponents are hitting .294 off of Zags' pitching. Gonzaga also has been outscored 183-163 this season. Gonzaga’s pitching staff also is carrying a 5.03 earned run average this year.

Those stats, however, are a bit misleading as the Bulldogs opened the season 3-8 against stiff competition on the road. The Bulldogs rebounded to win 13 of their last 18, although they did just drop two of three games against Utah Valley State in Spokane.

LCSC lost at the University of British Columbia last week, but bounced back to thump Corban College three times by outscoring it by a combined 34-5 margin.

The Warriors are putting up impressive offensive and defensive numbers. As a team, LCSC is hitting .304 and has outscored the opposition 232-53. LCSC has put up 22 home runs this season, compared to five for opponents, and is 34-of-38 in stolen base attempts this season.

The Warrior pitching staff has a 1.83 ERA and of the 53 runs the team has allowed this season, only 43 are earned. LCSC pitchers also have struck out 207 and walked 52. Opponents also are just 7-of-16 in stolen base attempts against LCSC.

After Tuesday’s game, the Warriors begin the busiest portion of their schedule on Friday when Oregon Tech comes to Lewiston for a three-game Region I series. LCSC, which is 9-1 in Region I play, will play 10 games over a nine-day stretch, all at Harris Field. After the three-game series with Oregon Tech, which includes a doubleheader on Saturday, California Baptist will play LCSC in single games next Monday-Wednesday, all at 6 p.m., and then Dixie State will play a four-game series at LCSC next Thursday-Saturday.

Tennis: 

After a tough road trip to California to face several teams ranked in the NAIA Top 25, the Warrior men hit the road again to face several NCAA Division I schools in the Boise State University Invitational, which starts on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the women also will face a tough week with a home match on Thursday and then traveling to Boise on Saturday.

The LCSC men, 8-6 overall, will play the University of San Francisco at 9 a.m., to begin the tournament and then will face either Ball State or Montana at 1 p.m. Ball State at Montana play at 9 a.m. as well and the two 9 a.m. winners and two 9 a.m. losers will meet at 1 p.m. Tournament action will continue through Saturday with 16 teams participating.

On the women’s side, the Warriors, 7-6 overall, will face a tough test when they play host to the University of Montana at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The Warriors then head to Boise and will face Weber State on Saturday at 11 a.m., and then face regional foe Albertson College on either Saturday or Sunday.