Tournament MVP Brian Ward collected three hits and drove in two runs, while Kyle Greene and Sean Halton added two hits and two RBI to help Lewis-Clark State College baseball team capture its third straight national championship with an 8-3 win over Lee University in the championship game of the 52nd annual Avista NAIA World Series before 5,530 fans at Harris Field on Friday night.
LCSC turned the tables on Lee by answering each Flame rally and then put the game away with a three-run eighth inning. The Warriors won three straight loser-out games in the Series in posting a 5-1 record.
It’s the third straight title, and 16th overall, for LCSC. The 16 titles are far and away the most in the NAIA. LCSC is now 16-5 all-time in the championship game and has won the last five it has played in. All 21 title game appearances have come since 1982, and the 16 titles have come during the last 25 years, and all under veteran coach Ed Cheff.
LCSC’s three-peat marks the fourth time that a school has won three consecutive Series titles. Lewis of Illinois accomplished the feat in 1974-76, while Grand Canyon College won titles in 1980-82. LCSC won five straight titles in 1987-92, and the Warriors have now won the last three.
Senior first baseman Kyle Greene became the second straight Lewis-Clark State College baseball player to earn NAIA Player of the Year honors, while junior catcher Brian Ward received two honors from the NAIA.
Greene, who is from Lewiston, follows Beau Mills as the NAIA’s top player. Greene is the third player from LCSC to win the honor as Jim O’Dell was the first LCSC player honored in 1983.
Greene hit .429 during the season with a .934 slugging percentage, 18 home runs, 69 runs, 30 doubles, and 93 hits.
Greene tied an NAIA record during the season by hitting two grand slam home runs in a 10-9 loss to Dixie State. That performance helped him earn the NAIA’s Player of the Week.
Greene was the only Warrior to earn first-team honors in the 17-member team. Ward and junior starting pitcher Matt Fitts were second-team selections, while senior pitcher Justin Mace was an honorable mention selection.
Ward was also named to the NAIA Rawlings Golden Glove Team for his defensive play.
Ward also had a solid season at the plate as he hit .360 on the season, playing in 49 games and starting in 46. Ward collected 63 hits, including 17 doubles and eight home runs.
Fitts became only the third pitcher in school history to post a 13-0 record. Fitts started 16 games and had a 2.97 earned run average. He pitched a team-high 103 innings and struck out 109 and walked only 29. He also allowed only 70 hits.
Mace was used as both a starter and a reliever. He posted a 6-0 record with six saves and a 1.44 ERA. He struck out 53 and walked only 13.
The two-time defending national champion Lewis-Clark State baseball team rallied late to stave off elimination in handing top-seeded Lee its first NAIA World Series loss Thursday night at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho. Lewiston senior Kyle Greene delivered a two-out, two-run single in the top of the 9th inning as the Warriors came back to beat the Flames 7-6. Warrior junior catcher Brian Ward homered twice and drove in three runs as LC forced a winner-take-all championship game Friday night. On the mound, junior right-hander Matt Fitts went the distance allowing 6 runs – 4 earned – on 9 hits while striking out 10 and walking one. It was his team leading 4th complete game of the year and pushed his record to 13-0, tying him with Chuck Higson as the only Warrior hurlers to go 13-0. Lee and LC will now meet in a winner-take-all national championship game Friday evening at Harris Field. Game time is set for 7pm PDT with live coverage on Talk Radio 950 KOZE-AM and on-line at www.koze-sports.com.
Lewis-Clark State College and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics officials have reached an agreement to keep the annual Avista NAIA College World Series baseball tournament in Lewiston, Idaho through 2012. NAIA Manager of Championship Sports Scott McClure says both parties are pleased with the outcome of all negotiations.
Scott McClure, NAIA Championships Manager, comments
Under the new extension plan, Lewis-Clark State as the host will now be required to accept a first round bye should they be seeded #1 or #2 in the 10-team field. Previously, the host institution could be seeded no higher than 3rd in order to guarantee a tournament appearance on opening night. Tournament Director and LCSC Athletic Director Gary Picone, who spent the past several months working with NAIA officials on an extension plan believes the college’s willingness to amend the current host guidelines helped in fostering a new agreement.
Gary Picone, LCSC Athletic Directory and World Series tournament director, comments
The contract extension also will help traveling teams by covering more of their costs. Under the current agreement, teams are responsible for airline travel to Spokane, Washington and then ground transportation – usually buses – to get to Lewiston. Those costs will now be covered by LCSC under the contract extension. LCSC is in its 17th year as serving as host for the week-long tournament, which begins the Friday of Memorial Day weekend annually.
Josh Guy hit a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to propel top-seeded Lee University to a thrilling 6-5 victory over Oklahoma City University Wednesday in the 52nd Avista NAIA World Series at Harris Field.
Guy’s blast gave Lee the win and kept the flames as the only undefeated team left in the tournament. Lee will have a two-for-one chance to win the national championship as they will play Lewis-Clark State Thursday at 7 p.m. If Lee wins, the Flames will capture their first NAIA baseball national championship. If Lewis-Clark State wins, the same two teams will play for the title Friday at 7 p.m.
OCU’s Landon Camp seemingly had given the Stars the win with a two-run shot in the top of the eighth inning, giving them a 5-4 lead. That erased a 4-3 Lee lead that was brought on when Brian Bistagne doubled home two in the seventh.
But with Ryan Stovall on and two outs, Guy hit an off-speed pitch from Brad Riddle over the left-field fence to give Lee the lead. Stovall gave up a walk and a single in the ninth but struck out David Mann to end the game.
Lee improves to 63-8 and Oklahoma City finishes its season at 57-12.
The Lewis-Clark State baseball team defeated Spring Arbor 9-4 Wednesday afternoon in an elimination game of the NAIA World Series at Lewiston’s Harris Field.
In Wednesday’s second game, Oklahoma City plays the tournament’s lone unbeatean team, Lee University. That game starts at 7 p.m.
The Warriors play Thursday night at 7 p.m. against either OCU or Lee. If OCU beats Lee, then OCU and LCSC will play Thursday and Lee would get a bye into Friday night’s championship game. If Lee wins, OCU is eliminated, and LCSC will have to beat Lee twice to claim the championship.
Dallas Sims and Pablo Lopez combined on a five-hitter and Chris Warters hit an insurance two-run home run in the seventh inning as the top-seeded Lee Flames defeated Lewis-Clark State 5-2 Tuesday night in the 52nd Annual Avista NAIA World Series. Sims limited LC to four hits in six innings and got the win to improve to 10-1 and Lopez pitched the final three innings, yielding just one hit while picking up his 12th save. The Flames improved to 62-8 and are the only undefeated team remaining in the Series field. Lewis-Clark State is 55-7 and is now faced with an elimination game at 3 p.m. Wednesday against Spring Arbor. It will be a rematch of last year’s championship game, won by the Warriors 9-2. Lee will meet Oklahoma City Wednesday at 7 p.m. It is an elimination game only for OCU as Lee has yet to suffer a tournament loss. Ryan Woods went six innings on the mound for Lewis-Clark State and gave up eight runs and three hits. Matt Stabelfeld relieved and gave up the home run by Warters, which increased Lee’s 3-2 lead to 5-2 in the seventh. Catcher Brian Ward had three of the five Lewis-Clark State hits, including two doubles. Four Flames had multiple hits, including three by leadoff hitter Jeremy Hutslar. Clint Harrelson, Brian Bistagne and Warters added two hits each for the Flames. Both games will be carried live on Talk Radio 950 KOZE-AM and on-line at koze-sports.com
The Lewis-Clark State baseball team is one of only two unbeaten teams in the NAIA World Series after outlasting Oklahoma City in extra innings Monday night at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho. Senior outfielder Mike Rivera hit a game clinching solo home-run to lead off the 12th inning as the Warriors defeated the Stars 9-5. Junior Sean Halton added a solo homer and drove in two runs, while Lewiston senior Kyle Greene – celebrating his birthday - added two hits and two runs as LC improved to 55-6 on the year. On the mound – the Warrior bullpen was outstanding as senior right-hander Justin Mace provided 4.2 innings of four hit, scoreless relief and junior lefty Blaine Hardy pitched the final 5 innings, allowing an unearned run on four hits to collect the win and up his record to 8-1. LC will now face the tournament’s only other unbeaten team – the top seed, Lee of Tennessee Tuesday night. In other action – last year’s national runner-up Spring Arbor kept its championship hopes alive with a thrilling 11-10 win over Azusa Pacific, while Embry-Riddle topped Bellevue 6-1. In the other winner’s bracket game, Lee overcame a five run deficit in beating Union 14-8. The tournament continues Tuesday with three games on tap. At 11am PDT, Spring Arbor will face Union in an elimination game; at 3pm PDT Oklahoma City will meet Embry-Riddle in another elimination game; and at 7pm PDT, Lewis-Clark State will play Lee. All games will be broadcast live on the Internet at koze-sports.com and the LC/Lee game will be carried live on Talk Radio 950 KOZE-AM.
