The Lewis-Clark State Warriors started their season with two wins over two top ten-ranked teams at the NAIA Ball East West Challenge in Mesa, AZ.
First game: Lewis-Clark State 13, Tennessee Wesleyan 7. The Warriors led the whole way, in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicates, against a team ranked #6 in the pre-season, and was 43-11 last year.
Nick Seamons got it started with a bases-loaded triple in the top of the second inning. They added five cheap runs in the fourth inning, two of them walked in, and another scored with a bases-loaded hit batter. They got two more in the fifth when Charlie Updegrave hit an RBI single, and Seamons scored on a ground out by Noah Weintraub.
The Bulldogs were shut out until the seventh inning. Starter Drake George went 4 2/3 innings, allowed three hits, struck out seven. Jantzen Lucas, who got the win, retired the first six batters he faced, but he walked two batters, then gave up two singles to end the shutout. The Warriors got a run on an RBI double by Carter Booth in the top of the eighth, and Dominic Signorelli hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth. The Warriors led 13-2 going into the bottom of the ninth. The Bulldogs got four runs at the expense of Zachary Ediger. He was relieved by Kolby Solomon. He recorded two outs on ground balls, and walked a batter. He gave up a run on an RBI single, then got a strikeout to end it.
Seamons was the only Warrior with multiple hits; he had two of them, and had a total of four RBI. Signorelli finished 1-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored.
Second game: Lewis-Clark State 4, Bellevue 3. This one was a bit more exciting than the Warriors would have preferred. The #7-ranked Bruins led 2-0 going into the bottom of the fourth. The Warriors got on the board with an RBI single by Charlie Updegrave in the bottom of the fourth, then took a 3-2 lead in the sixth on an RBI double by Nick Seamons, and a sacrifice fly by Updegrave.
The lead lasted until the top of the ninth inning. The Bruins tied it with an RBI single and two out, and they had the go-ahead run on third base. However, Cameron Smith, who took the mound in the eighth inning, got a strikeout to end the inning and keep the game tied 3-3.
The bottom of the ninth started with Leo Rivera getting hit on the batting helmet with a pitch. Alex Sol was sent in to pinch run for him. Carter Booth attempted to advance him with a bunt, but the bunt was popped up and caught by the catcher. The next batter, Ike George, hit a single, putting the winning run on second. Then Seamons flied out, and the Bruins were an out away from taking it into extra innings. Updegrave hit an single to score Sol and win it.
Starter Jace Hanson went 4 1/3 innings, gave up two runs on four hits, struck out five. Brady Maylett pitched the next 2 2/3 innings, allowed two hits, struck out two. Smith pitched two innings, allowed four hits, struck out three, got the win.
Updegrave finished 2-for-4 and batted in three of the Warriors’ four runs. Seamons went 2-for-5 with the RBI double and two runs scored. Brendan Luther, who previously played for Okanagan College and the Okotoks Dawgs, went 3-for-4 for the Bruins. recap
Upcoming:
The Warriors play #1 Southeastern Friday at 6:15 PM PST. This one is in Phoenix. video The final game is against Saint Thomas (FL) at 1 PM on Saturday. video (paywalled) audio
