Strong bullpen gives LC seventh straight win, down Wolves 3-1
Zachary Shore, LCSC
MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – The second-ranked Lewis-Clark State College baseball team opened up their season-long 11-game road trip with a 3-1 win over Western Oregon at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore. on Wednesday afternoon.
The Warriors used a strong bullpen, led by Shane Desmond, to seal their seventh straight win and improve to 21-2. The loss is the 11th for the Wolves who fall to 9-11.
LC State starter, Matthew Fish, struggled with command and lasted just 3.1 innings before giving way to Desmond who earned his second win with 3.2 innings of scoreless baseball allowing just three hits while striking out one.
The offense did its job, tallying eight hits, three for extra bases, and scoring three runs.
Jacob Zanon, who collected a team-high three hits, led off the contest with a single and, after stealing second, scored on a one out RBI single by Cabe Reiten.
The Warriors tallied another run in the third as Zanon again led off with a single and stole second before scoring on a one out RBI double off the bat of J.J. Robinson.
The final run game in the ninth as LCSC loaded the bases with a hit by pitch and pair of walks. A Wolves wild pitch plated Robert Smith, Jr. for the 3-0 lead.
Noel Gonzalez, the fourth pitcher of the day, came on in relief to begin the bottom of the ninth but after a strikeout, walked a batter and allowed an RBI double to bring the tying run to the plate. David Wilson was called on to close the game and he did just that with a strikeout and a groundout to end the game.
Wilson earned his first save of the season with a perfect 0.2 innings. All told the Warriors allowed eight hits and one unearned run with six walks and nine strikeouts.
Offensively, Zanon finished 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored while Robinson was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk. Reiten, Julian Ramon and Logan Griffin accounted for the other three hits.
The Warriors continue their stretch of five games in four days when they open an NAIA West series against Corban on Thursday, March. 24 at 4 p.m. The series is being played at Wilsonville High School in Wilsonville, Ore. with the final three games, a Friday doubleheader and Saturday single contest, counting in the NAIA West standings.
Live stats for the series will be available
here with live audio available at 950 AM KOZE or online at
www.koze-sports.com.