April 20, 2008

LEWISTON, Idaho -- The Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) College baseball team set an NAIA record with 51 consecutive scoreless innings pitch in sweeping a doubleheader from Corban College by scores of 4-0 and 8-1 at LCSC's Harris Field on Saturday (April 19).

The Warriors, 40-4 overall and winners of 11 straight, saw the scoreless streak come to an end in the fifth inning of the second game when Corban scored on an unearned run on an error.

LCSC's streak topped the old mark of 49 straight scoreless innings set by Southeastern Oklahoma in 1977.

During LCSC's streak, the Warrior pitching staff blanked Concordia during the final two innings of an 18-10 win last Saturday. LCSC then posted consecutive shutouts over Concordia on Sunday (7-0), Whitworth on Wednesday (5-0) and Thursday (14-0), Corban on Friday (13-0) and Saturday (4-0), and then the first four innings of Saturday's second game.

The impressive streak was continued by LCSC pitchers Michael Guerrero and Blaine Hardy in the opener. Guerrero threw seven innings of scoreless ball and allowed four hits and three walks. He struck out five to improve to 6-1 on the season. Hardy allowed two hits in two innings with two strikeouts. The shutout was the 10th of the season by the Warriors.

LCSC did just enough offensively to triumph in the first game. LCSC scored two runs in the first inning, both unearned, when Paul Martin reached on a fielding error and went to third on a double by Kyle Greene. Josh Ashenbrenner then hit a blooper that fell in between three Corban fielders to score both Martin and Greene.

LCSC's other two runs came in the fourth inning when Chris Valencia walked and scored on a triple by Mike Rivera.  Ricky Reavis then grounded out to short to score Rivera.

Corban starter Derek Stokes threw well. He pitched seven innings of seven hit ball and gave up two earned runs and four walks. Jordan Emery pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning.

Ashenbrenner was the only player in the game to record more than one hit as he finished with two.

In the second game, which saw LCSC earn its 40th win of the season for the 31st time in coach Ed Cheff's 32 seasons at helm, the Warriors used a six-run second inning to take an 7-0 lead. After Martin doubled and scored on a single by Greene in the first, LCSC sent 10 batters to the plate in the second and collected six runs on five hits. Nic Benton drove in the first run with a bases-loaded walk, while Brent Wyatt added a sacrifice fly. Greene added a three-run double to left-center field and later scored on a double by Brian Ward.

Things continued to go smoothly for the Warriors until Corban was able to break the scoreless streak in the fifth, thanks to an untimely error.

After Matt Schmidt singled with one out, Jamie McGraw drew a two-out walk off LCSC starter Ryan Woods. Nate Hiebert followed with a grounder that Ashenbrenner, LCSC's second baseman, ran down to high right, but didn't field cleanly. The ball rolled into shallow center field, which allowed McGraw to score from second and snap the streak.

The Warriors countered with a run in the bottom of the fifth when Mickey Pingree doubled to left and scored on a double by Benton.

LCSC collected 11 hits in the game, including a 2-of-3 performance with four RBI from Greene, and 3-for-3 effort from Pingree. Benton added two RBI.

Woods, a junior, made only his fourth start of the season, but was again impressive. Used solely as a short relief pitcher early in the season, Woods went five innings and allowed two hits, no earned runs, and three walks. He also struck out four. Woods, 6-1 overall, has pitched five innings in every start, and in three of the four, he has not allowed an earned run.

Dustin Willis pitched two innings and gave up two hits with one strikeout, while Justin Mace went the final two innings. He gave up two hits and a walk, but struck out four.