Concordia slipped to 11-17 on the year after three losses to the defending national champion LC State Warriors.
No. 2 LC State Completes Three-Game Sweep of Cavs
PORTLAND, Ore. – The No. 2 ranked Lewis-Clark State baseball team completed a three-game series sweep of Concordia with a 7-0 win at The Yard on Sunday.
The Warriors defeated Concordia 4-0 on Friday and 18-10 on Saturday to improve to 35-4 on the year. Concordia dropped to 11-17 overall.
LC State got a single run in the top of the first with a run scoring on a ground-out double play by Warrior first baseman Kyle Greene (Lewiston, Idaho).
CU starter Jason Grisham (Canby, Ore./Canby H.S.) prevented a high-scoring event that took place in the near three-hour marathon on Saturday by pitching 7 1/3 strong innings. The senior right-hander allowed six hits and walked two while striking out a pair.
However, Grisham’s counterpart Ryan Woods (Mill Creek, Wash.) cruised through five innings by notching eight strikeouts and allowing just two hits to the Cavaliers. LC State’s Blaine Hardy (Shoreline, Wash.) took the mound for the final four frames, giving up three hits to complete the Warrior win.
Back at the plate, LC State created two runs in the fourth. Greene led-off the inning with a double off the left-field fence for the team’s second hit of the game. After a walk and an error to load the bases, Chris Valencia (Los Angeles, Calif.) immediately took advantage by scooting a single through the right side for a pair of RBI’s and a 3-0 Warrior lead. Grisham escaped further damage with the team’s second double play of the game, this time a grounder to third that went around the horn to second and first.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Cavs got their first hit of the game off Woods with a Sean Myron (San Diego, Calf./Ranch Bernardo H.S.) drive down the left-field line, but would remain at second with Woods recording his sixth and seventh strikeouts to stymie the Cavalier counter.
In the fifth, Concordia got its first lead-off runner with Derek Shigano (Pearl City, Hawaii/Roosevelt H.S.) dropping a single to right field. Josh Mandin (Sutherlin, Ore./Sutherlin H.S.) followed by reaching on an error by the shortstop after a shot up the middle. Sean Strachan (Portland, Ore./Roosevelt H.S.) advanced Shigano to third with a deep fly to right but the inning would come to an abrupt end as a Roberto Reyes (Monterrey, Mexico) shot held up in the air for a line-out to centerfielder Valencia.
Grisham opened the sixth with two consecutive strikeouts but a Ricky Reavis (Covington, Wash.) double down the right-field line ended the hopes of a quick inning. Valencia would make it a 4-0 game with single to right to send Reavis, who entered the game in the second for Ikaika Lester (Kaunakakai, Hawaii) after a pitch to the left side of the third baseman’s helmet, home from second.
The Warriors used two hits, a walk, a hit batter and an error to create three runs in the eighth to take the 7-0 lead.
LC State totaled seven hits in the game while Concordia managed five against the Warrior pitching duo. Both teams left eight runners on base. Valencia went 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBI’s to lead LC State while Sean was the sole batter to record multiple hits for the Cavaliers.
Concordia returns to action on April 19 when it hosts The College of Idaho in Cascade Collegiate Conference action at The Yard. Opening pitch is set for noon.