May 30, 2011

Contact: Amanda Dahl, NAIA Manager of Sports Information & Media Services, adahl@naia.org

LEWISTON, Idaho - Concordia (Calif.) eliminated third-seeded Oklahoma Baptist from the Avista-NAIA World Series with a 7-5 victory at Harris Field on Monday. The ninth-seeded Eagles improved to 40-19 and will face the loser of the Lubbock Christian (Texas) and Oklahoma City game Tuesday at 3 p.m. PDT. The Bison exit from their third World Series after going 1-2 in Lewiston. Their season comes to an end with a record of 46-14.

Brent Clapper (9-4) earned the win for Concordia. The junior right-hander threw for 8 1/3 innings, allowing the Bison to score five earned runs on 11 hits. He struck out five batters and walked two. Ryan Day entered in the top of the ninth inning with runners at second and third with one out. Day forced Reece Alnas into a game-ending double-play line drive to pick up the save.

Oklahoma Baptist starter Ryan Plum (8-2) tossed 5 1/3 innings in the losing effort. The senior righty scattered 10 hits, giving up six earned runs. He struck out five and walked one. Senior counterpart Jesse Orozco came in to relieve Plum in the sixth frame and held the Eagles to just one hit and gave up an unearned run.

Both teams exchanged runs in the first inning on RBI singles. Concordia took a 3-1 lead in the ensuing frame. With one out, Danny Casey hit an infield single and advanced to second on Robbie Knowles' bunt for base hit. Both Casey and Knowles moved up a base on Plum's wild pitch. Plum responded by striking out Edgar Guillen to bring up leadoff batter Matt Ivanoff. The senior doubled a 1-0 pitch to right-center field to score Casey and Knowles.

In the top of the fourth , the Bison loaded the bases with a Michael Sliger walk, a Bam Davis single and a Daniel Baptista single. Senior Alan Trayler stepped into the batters box and with a 1-2 count, the senior connected and sent the ball sailing over the left-field fence for the grand slam to take a 5-3 lead.

Concordia put one on the board in the bottom of the fifth on Bryan Nicholson's sacrifice fly that scored Ivanoff, to put the game at 5-4. A half inning later, the Eagles posted three runs. Plum struck out the leadoff batter, but allowed back-to-back singles from Casey and Knowles. Orozco entered and fanned Guillen for the second out. Ivanoff took his first offering from Orozco and sent it deep to right-center to score Casey and Knowles for a second time in the contest.

The Bison had runners in scoring position in the top of the seventh with a leadoff hit by Terrence Buchanan and another single from Alnas, but Anthony Lopez flied out and Buchanan was doubled off. Sliger grounded out to end the inning, leaving Alnas stranded. Oklahoma Baptist threatened again in its final at bat in the top of the ninth. With runners on first and second, Buchanan laid down the sacrifice bunt to move pinch runner Chris Lemus and Jonathan Gelpi up a base with no outs. Alnas then hit into the game-ending double play.

Ivanoff powered the Eagle offense, going 4-for-4 at the plate with a double and a triple. He drove in four runs and scored three times. Nicholson and Casey each collected two hits in three at bats, with Nicholson recording two RBIs. Both Casey and Knowles scored twice.

All nine of Oklahoma Baptist's batters registered a hit in the loss, with Baptista and Mitchell Prophet going 2-for-4.Trayler had four RBIs and Sliger recorded the other.