Hamann, Gonzalez pitch Warriors past Coyotes
Zachary Shore, LCSC
LEWISTON, Idaho – Kevin Hamann (JR/Bend, Ore.) improved to 5-1 and
Noel Gonzalez (JR/Naches, Wash.) earned his seventh save to send the Lewis-Clark State College baseball team to a 4-2 victory over College of Idaho at Harris Field on Friday night.
Gonzalez is tied for the fourth most saves in a single season matching Justin Mace in 2008 with seven. The team record is 10 set by Henry Buenrostro in 2010.
The NAIA's second ranked Warriors remained perfect at home improving to 16-0 at Harris Field while pushing the overall record to 31-5 and an NAIA West leading 17-3 mark. The Coyotes, who received votes in the latest poll, fall to 27-11 overall and 15-6 in conference play.
Hamann was stellar in his start, allowing just two runs on six hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in eight plus innings.
The offense, which got off to a slow start, tallied nine hits including four for extra bases, scoring a pair of runs in the sixth before adding single runs in the seventh and eighth for the win.
Neither team did much in the first three frames, but the Yotes got to Hamann in the fourth. Mitch Skaggs doubled with one out, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on an RBI single by Dalton Ridgway for the early lead. Hamann settled in though, sitting down 13-of-15 Coyotes over the next four frames.
The LC State offense collected just three hits in the first five innings, but matched that total in the sixth to take the lead.
J.J. Robinson (JR/Colfax, Wash.) led off with a triple off the top of the wall in right and scored three batters later on a single by
Gunnar Buhner (JR/Issaquah, Wash.).
Micah Brown (SO/Medord, Ore.) followed with a double to score
Chase Hafer (SR/Meridian, Idaho), who ran for
Julian Ramon (SR/Oxnard, Calif.), for the 2-1 lead.
Robert Smith Jr. (SR/Fremont, Calif.) got things going in the seventh with a leadoff single, advancing to third on Robinson's double to right. After an intentional walk to Ramon loaded the bases with one out,
Tyler McDowell (SO/Puyallup, Wash.) delivered a pinch hit sacrifice fly, scoring Smith Jr.
Brown continued his strong day with a leadoff triple in the eighth, scoring on a wild pitch to
Cabe Reiten (SR/Spanaway, Wash.) for the Warriors final tally.
A walk and a single ended the day for Hamann in the ninth and Gonzalez induced a run-scoring double-play, allowed a single and then forced a fielder's choice to seal the win.
Smith, Jr.; Robinson and Brown each collected two hits and scored a run with Brown adding an RBI.
The Warriors and Coyotes continue their four-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 9 with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. sponsored by Inland Cellular. It's also college baseball shirt trade-in day. Bring your old college baseball shirt and receive a $5 Warrior baseball t-shirt.
For those that can't make the game, live stats are available at
live.lcwarriors.com with video available
here and live audio courtesy of 950 AM KOZE or online at
www.koze-sports.com.