FULLERTON, Calif. – A third-inning offensive outburst resulted in four of the Warriors’ six home runs to lift No. 24 LC State Baseball to its second straight upset. The Warriors tallied 16 hits in the 14-4 victory over No. 23 Hope International in game on of Friday’s doubleheader. The Royals responded with seven runs in game two and defeated the Warriors 7-1.
GAME ONE: No. 24 LC State def. No. 23 Hope International 14-4
Aidan Nagle gave the Warriors the early lead with a two-RBI double in the top of the first inning. Riley Way and Jack Johnson reached on a walk and hit-by-pitch, respectively, and scored on the shot into corner in right.
Eric Chavarria gave the Warriors a solid start in his first outing of the year to set the pace for LC. He did not allow a run and gave up just four hits.
“Chavarria gave us a quality start that provided energy and set the tempo for the game,” Head Coach Jake Taylor said. “Aidan got us going in the first with a big two-RBI, two-out double.”
The LC State defense made quick work of HIU in the home half of the first with a flyout to Nagle in right and a double play turned by Way and Zach Needham to end the inning. Starter Eric Chavarria helped the Warriors out of a jam in the second to keep the Royals off the board.
The third inning was full of fireworks. The Warriors cranked out four home runs in the inning, starting with three straight from Way, Dillon Plew and Johnson. Nagle added another on a drive to center to cap the four-run inning bring the advantage to 6-0.
“We continued to do substantial damage throughout the game with two-strike and two-out hitting,” Taylor said. “Our ability to strike the ball and use the entire field was the difference in the game.”
HIU tried to put a run up in the third with a base hit to left, but a missile from Johnson to Zach Threlfall behind the plate beat a runner by nearly three steps. A popup to Plew at third got LC State out of a bases-loaded jam unscathed. A strikeout by Chavarria ended the fourth with the Warriors still leading 6-0.
Lucas Gregory made his LC State debut on the mound in the bottom of the fifth, ending Chavarria’s day after four innings. With HIU runners threatening, Way fielded a ground ball up the middle and took the ball to the bag himself to turn an inning-ending double play and keeps the Royals scoreless after five.
Needham tallied his first hit of the game in the top of the sixth with a poke into left field. He took second on a wild pitch and came around to score on a single by Way to grow LC’s lead to 7-0.
Hope International scratched its first runs across in the bottom of the sixth to cut into the LC lead. The Royals strung together a pair of hits, including a solo shot, to make it a 7-3 ball game.
The Warriors responded quickly in the top of the seventh when an RBI-double by Nagle knocked Brock Ephan in from first. A two-run shot by Dalton Harum pushed the advantage to 10-3.
Eli Shubert was given the baseball in the bottom of the seventh in relief of Gregory and retired HIU in order.
Trent Sellers opened the eighth inning with a triple to left center before pinch runner A.J. Davis came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Way. The Warriors led 11-3 heading into the home half of the eighth.
Another run by the Royals in the eighth made it an 11-4 game heading into the ninth.
Harum brought more fire power in the top of the inning with his second home run of the game. Nagle remained perfect (5-for-5) in the game with an infield single and Luke White was hit by a pitch to put two on for Harum and make it a three-run shot.
Shubert closed out the game on the mound and LC State won 14-4.
Nagle was a perfect 5-for-5 in the game with four RBI, and Way was 3-for-3. Harum led the team with five RBI on two home runs. LC State totaled six big flies in the game and had 16 hits.
GAME TWO: No. 23 Hope International def. No. 24 LC State 7-1
HIU turned the tables in game two and defeated LC State 7-1. The Royals utilized a five-run second inning, while the pitching staff silenced the LC bats. Luke White provided the only Warrior run in the game with a solo shot in the third inning.
“The reason we came on this trip was to see quality arms and great competition,” Taylor explained. “We saw both in game two. We worked behind in the count too much as gave up too many free passes to beat a good ball club. Ultimately, we should learn from this and move forward.”
Trent Sellers made his fist start on the mound for LC in game two and marked the occasion with a pair of strikeouts to start the bottom of the first. He ran into trouble in the second, giving up five runs on threes hits with two errors behind him.
Joe Ball took over for Sellers on the mound in the bottom of the fourth and gave up a home run to the leadoff batter. Another run came in to score on a wild pitch and the Royals led 7-1 through four.
Jacob Bogacz came on in relief with a runner on first in the home half of the fifth and retired all three batters he faced to end the inning.
LC was unable to muster another run at fell 7-1 in the nightcap.
At the close of day two of the 2021 season, the Warriors hold a record of 2-1. The face San Diego Christian tomorrow at 11 a.m. before heading to Arizona for four games.