VANCOUVER, B.C. – Using a 16-hit attack, the College of Idaho eliminated host British Columbia in the semifinals of the NAIA West Championships, before Lewis-Clark State blanked the Yotes in the title game of the event at Thunderbird Park.
The Coyotes (38-20) used a five-run seventh inning to break open their game with UBC, claiming a 12-9 win, however, Connor Brogdon and Jake Barnett combined on a four-hit shutout for LCSC in their 5-0 victory in the championship tilt.
LC State (48-7) claimed their first NAIA West crown since 2008 – and will next compete at the AVISTA-NAIA World Series, while both UBC and C of I await their NAIA National Championships Opening Round site and pairings – to be announced on May 13.
C of I claimed the rubber game of a nine-game season series with the T-Birds (38-20) – scoring runs in six of the first seven innings.
The Yotes tallied single runs in the first and second innings, as
Mitch Skaggs singled and scored on a wild pitch in the opening inning, while a double play ball scored
Seth Champlin in the second.
UBC grabbed tied the score in the second on RBI singles from Brady Allemann and Anthony Olson, only to see the Yotes take a 4-2 lead in the third after a two-out, two-run double from Champlin.
In the fourth, the T-Birds batted around for four runs – with a Bruce Yari two-run single providing the big blow, as the hosts took a 6-4 lead. C of I countered with a
Cole Mansanarez RBI single in the fifth, took the lead with two runs in the sixth, and then broke the game open in the seventh – thanks to a two-run single from
Hunter Hanson and a two-run double from Mansanarez.
Leading 12-6, the Coyote bullpen did their job, as
Brady Winfield and
Russell Sweet combined to toss five-plus innings of three run, three hit relief, striking out four to preserve the win.
Hanson was 4-for-5 with two RBI; Mansanarez was 3-for-5 with three RBI; with Skaggs, Champlin,
Johnny Hyland and
Jake Bowman all recording two hits for C of I.
After a 30-minute break, the title game was dominated by the LC State arms, as Brogdon allowed just three hits and fanned eight to win his sixth game of the season. Barnett worked out of a first and second, one-out jam in the eighth and induced a double play ball in the ninth to close out the victory.
A three-base error on a second inning fly ball set up Cabe Reiten's sacrifice fly to give the Warriors the lead, with a Logan Griffin two-out, three-run triple in the sixth providing the insurance for LCSC.
Griffin and Tyler McDowell each had three hits in the win for the Warriors, while four different C of I hitters had one hit.
