Cascade Collegiate Conference recap for April 28

Lewis-Clark State, Oregon Tech, and College of Idaho all swept double-headers on the final day of the regular season.

Hiroyuki Yamada – photo by Vamsi Nadella

At Lewiston, ID. First game: Lewis-Clark State 13, Bushnell 2. Halted by the mercy rule after seven innings. The Warriors got all the runs they needed in the first inning, with a home run by Brandon Cabrera and a two-RBI double by Nick Seamons. Carter Booth hit a solo home run in the second inning, and a three-run home run in the third inning. All 13 runs were earned, and they got them on only eight hits. Hiroyuki Yamada and Jace Hanson combined to hold the Beacons to five hits. Yamada pitched five innings, allowed two runs on four hits, struck out five. Kai Keamo got the loss.

Second game: Lewis-Clark State 11, Bushnell 4. The Warriors got it started with three runs in the bottom of the third inning on an RBI single by Jake Gish, an RBI double by Charlie Updegrave, and Magnum Hofstetter getting an RBI on a fielder’s choice. They put it away with five runs in the sixth inning, on a two-RBI double by Carter Booth and RBI doubles by Gish, Updegrave, and Jack Sheward. Booth added a home run in the eighth inning, followed by an RBI triple by Noah Weintraub. Starter Decker Stedman got the win; he pitched five innings, allowed zero runs on four hits. Zachary Ediger pitched the final two innings, allowed one hit, struck out four of the eight batters he faced. Austin Wolfe got the loss. The Warriors outhit the Beacons by only 13 to 11. Kyle Casperson went 5-for-5 for the Beacons, but got only one RBI out of it. Booth finished 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, and three RBI. recap

The Warriors swept the four-game series. They did not lose a home game during the regular season.

At Klamath Falls, OR. First game: Oregon Tech 6, Corban 1. Patrick Arman shut out the Warriors for seven innings. Matthew Ortiz hit a home run in the bottom of the first. The winning run for the Hustlin’ Owls came in the fifth inning, on an RBI single by Riley Cronin. Kyle Norton scored in the sixth inning on a dropped fly ball. Patrick Barry hit a two-RBI triple and Ka’ala Tam hit an RBI single in the seventh. The only Warrior run came on an RBI single by Ryan Clay in the eighth.

Arman pitched 7 1/3 innings, gave up the one run on four hits, struck out six. Hayden Van Acker pitched the first six innings for the Warriors, and didn’t do badly; two earned runs on three hits, struck out six, got the loss. Cronin had two hits for the Owls, and Roger Viloria had two hits (one of them a double) for the Warriors.

Matthew Lehrbach

Second game: Oregon Tech 11, Corban 1. Halted by the mercy rule after seven innings. Matthew Lehrbach, a graduating senior who had only 37 at-bats coming into this game, got a start, and made the most of it; he went 2-for-4, and his second hit of the game was in the bottom of the seventh inning; it drove in the Hustlin’ Owls’ eleventh run, and ended the game. He also scored a run.

The Owls opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly by Chase Hedani in the bottom of the fourth, then got five runs in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI single by Tyler Horner, a three-run home run by Julien Jones, and a sacrifice fly by Kyle Norton.

The Warriors got only two hits. Both of them were off starter Isaac Hill, who pitched six innings, allowed the run, and struck out six. Brian McClelland pitched the seventh inning,retired all three batters he faced. Bryce Bridge got the loss. Patrick Barry finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored. recap

The Hustlin’ Owls swept the four-game series.

At Caldwell, ID. First game: College of Idaho 4, Eastern Oregon 3. Another good ball game between these two teams. The Coyotes opened the scoring with Chandler Stocking scoring on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first inning. They took a 3-0 lead in the third inning with a two-RBI single by Jordan Kelly. The Mountaineers were kept off the board for six innings by Oliver Massie, but they finally got to him in the top of the seventh with a two-run home run by Mario Landeros and an RBI double by Tyler Balkenbush. With the game tied 3-3 and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, Austin Moon hit a sacrifice fly for the winning run. Danny Burns hit a double for the Mountaineers in the top of the ninth, but Ben Gaff, who pitched the final two innings for the Coyotes, got a foul out and a ground out to end it.

Massie got the win; his numbers were 6 1/3 innings pitched, three runs on seven hits, and three strikeouts. Jeter Larson went the distance for the Mountaineers, allowed four earned runs on eleven hits, struck out six. Kelly finished 3-for-4 with two RBI. Balkenbush had two hits.

Second game: College of Idaho 9, Eastern Oregon 7. The Mountaineers led 3-1 after five innings, the three runs coming from a two-RBI double by Tommy Whiles, and an RBI single by Mario Landeros. The Coyotes put it away with seven runs in the bottom of the sixth, on an RBI single by Kris Kirkpatrick, a sacrifice fly by Darren Smith, RBI singles by Chandler Stocking, Jordan Kelly, and Ben Gaff, and an RBI double by Jack Ingraham. The Mountaineers got back in it with three RBI doubles in the top of the seventh by Whiles, Landeros, and Danny Burns, and got one more run in the top of the ninth on an RBI double by Burns.

The Coyotes used five pitchers. Nick Eliason pitched the first five innings, allowed three runs on six hits, struck out two. Kobe Fredland pitched the final 1 2/3 innings, allowed one unearned run on three hits, struck out two, got the win. Mountaineer starter Jake Herrera got the loss; he pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowed five runs (only one earned) on five hits, struck out nine. Gaff finished 2-for-5 with a double, got the Coyotes’ only RBI of the game. Whiles went 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI. recap

The Coyotes won the series three games to one. Colby Durski made appearances in both of Sunday’s games, and in doing so, set an NAIA record for most career pitching appearances.

The schedule is set for the first day of the conference tournament, Saturday, May 4 in Lewiston. British Columbia vs. Oregon Tech at 1 PM, Bushnell vs. Lewis-Clark State at 4 PM.

Final regular season standings:

* Lewis-Clark State is #1 in Strength of Schedule