Lewis-Clark State 8, Lee 3

The Lee Flames came within one out of winning the championship on Thursday night, but with the Lewis-Clark State Warriors getting a complete game from Matt Fitts on Thurday, they had enough of an advantage in pitching to win this one.

Josh Rose, who hadn’t seen action for the Flames since May 7, got the start, and gave up four runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. The first run came in the second inning, when CF Paul Martin hit a triple, and scored on a ground out by LF Nick Benton. The Warriors got home runs from 3B Kyle Greene and DH Halton in the third.

Rose was replaced by Jeff Ibarra, who had a brief appearance on Thursday, with two outs and runners at first and third in the bottom of the fourth. The runner at first, SS Brett Wyatt, immediately stole second. The runner at third, Benton, then scored on a wild pitch. The Warriors led 4-1 after four innings.

Michael Guerrero started for the Warriors, and was pulled in the third inning after giving up a home run to 3B Josh Guy and hitting two batters. (Not much point in conserving pitchers when the next game isn’t going to be until February.) Guerrero’s replacement was Matt Stabelfeld, who allowed one run on one hit, another home run by Guy, over 3 1/3 innings. Stabelfeld got the win. Justin Mace, who held the Flames to one unearned run over the last three innings, got a save.

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Tags: Lee, Lewis-Clark State

Results from Day 6 of the NAIA Baseball National Championship in Lewiston, ID:

Lewis-Clark State 7, Lee 6

The Lee Flames were one out away from their first-ever national championship, but 3B Kyle Greene hit a two-RBI double to tie the game at 6, and C Brian Ward followed with a double to bat in Greene and the winning run.

Matt Fitts pitched a complete game for the Warriors. He threw 118 pitches, allowed four earned runs on nine hits, walked one, and struck out ten.

The Warriors scored first on a home run by Ward in the top of the third. The Flames answered with a two-RBI double by C Chris Dubon in the bottom of the third. Ward hit another home run in the sixth, but the Flames took a 6-2 lead in their half of the sixth on a three-run home run by 1B Chris Warters, followed by a home run by Dubon.

Flames starter Dave Mason gave way to Jeff Ibarra in the top of the seventh. He didn’t finish the inning. He hit the first batter he faced, 2B Josh Ashenbrenner. RF Chris Valencia got a hit. Mason was replaced by Pablo Lopez. He was greeted with a single by CF Paul Martin, scoring Ashenbrenner. The next batter, Greene, hit a ground ball that resulted in Martin being tagged out between first and second, but Valencia scored on the play. That cut the Flames’ lead to 6-4, setting up the dramatic ninth-inning finish.

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Tags: Lee, Lewis-Clark State

Updated at 11:50 PM PDT.

Results from Day 5 of the NAIA Baseball National Championship in Lewiston, ID:

Lewis-Clark State 9, Spring Arbor 4 (Spring Arbor eliminated)

The Warriors opened the scoring in the third inning, when 2B Josh Ashenbrenner came in on a ground out by SS Brett Wyatt. They took over the game in the fourth with an RBI single by C Brian Ward, an RBI double by 1B Ikaika Lester, an an RBI single by RF Chris Valencia.

The Cougars did not go home without a fight. They got on the board in the fifth with an RBI single by starting pitcher Jesse Bachman. The Warriors added two in the top of the sixth on a triple by Valencia. The Cougars answered with a two-RBI single by C Lucas Rider in the bottom of the sixth, and an RBI single by SS Bradley Baker in the bottom of the seventh.

That made the score 6-4 after seven innings, but the Cougars couldn’t get any closer. Justin Mace pitched the last two innings for the Warriors, and retired all six batters that he faced. The Cougars hit into double plays in the fifth and seventh, and 2B Jeff Hollister was robbed of an extra-base hit in the eighth with a good catch by CF Paul Martin. Three of the Warrior runs were unearned.

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Tags: Lee, Lewis-Clark State, Oklahoma City, Spring Arbor

Updated at 11:55 PM PDT.

Results from Day 4 of the NAIA Baseball National Championship in Lewiston, ID:

Spring Arbor 8, Union 7 (Union eliminated)

Both teams were playing their fourth game in five days, and the coaches had to make some difficult decisions about pitching. Spring Arbor went with Andy Paulun, who had only two starts on the season and an ERA of 6.75. Union went with one of their regular starters, Lance Doughtery, who had a record of 7-1, 2.73 ERA.

Doughtery came to Union from Canyon, TX. He played for Seward County CC in Liberal, KS and Hutchinson CC in Hutchinson, KS. His career was interrupted by Tommy John surgery. He was recruited for Union while playing for the Newton Rebels of the Walter Johnson League in Wichita.

For eight innings, it appeared that Union made the better choice. Paulun was pulled after giving up five runs in three innings, and was replaced by Colin O’Connell, a starter who hadn’t made a relief appearance prior to today. O’Connell started on Saturday against Oklahoma City, and got a loss. He did better this time, allowing two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings of work.

The Cougars got back in the game with four runs in the bottom of the fourth, on a two-RBI double by DH Eric Vojtkofsky, a passed ball, and a sacrifice fly by C Lucas Rider.

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Tags: Embry-Riddle, Lee, Lewis-Clark State, Oklahoma City, Spring Arbor, Union

Updated at 1:05 AM PDT.

Results from Day 3 of the NAIA Baseball National Championship in Lewiston, ID:

Spring Arbor 11, Azusa Pacific 10 (Azusa Pacific eliminated)

Spring Arbor started off the Cougars vs. Cougars battle with five runs in the top of the first, chasing Azusa Pacific starter Matt Stone. APU came back with two runs in the second (home run by DH Chris Feicht), one in the third, two in the fourth (home run by RF Drew Evans), and one in the fifth. SAU got a run in the fourth on an RBI single by CF Jon Schaible, so the game was tied 6-6 going into the seventh inning.

SAU got the lead back on a two-run home run by 1B Jim Baker in the top of the seventh. APU got one back in the bottom of the seventh on a home run by 1B Kirk Nieuwenhuis, and the game went into the ninth with SAU hanging on to an 8-7 lead.

SAU scored three runs in the top of the ninth on a two-RBI double by Eric Vojtkofski, and an RBI single by RF Jonathan Herbig. They needed all three of them. APU responded with an RBI double by Feicht, and a two-RBI single by Evans. However, SAU reliever Joseph Myers struck out Carlos Maddox to end the game and APU’s season.

This was a well-played game despite the batting-practice run totals. APU out-hit SAU 18-12. There were several good defensive plays, including a diving catch of a bunt attempt by Nieuwenhuis in the top of the seventh, and a catch of a fly ball in right-field foul territory by Herbig in the bottom of the seventh. SAU got a couple of double plays in the early going to make the APU comeback more difficult.

Myers got the win, and Garrett Hodges got the loss. Herbig finished the game 3-5 with 3 RBI. 2B Grant Beyer went 3-3 with a double for APU.

Box score Play-by-play

Story from NAIA site: No. 7 Spring Arbor Wins Offensive Display 11-10 Against No. 4 Azusa Pacific

Embry-Riddle 6, Bellevue 1 (Bellevue eliminated)

Jordan Roberts recovered from a didn’t-finish-
the-first-inning performance on Friday to pitch a complete game for the Eagles, holding the Bruins to five hits. He struck out seven, walked two, and threw 120 pitches.
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Tags: Azusa Pacific, Bellevue, Embry-Riddle, Lee, Lewis-Clark State, Oklahoma City, Spring Arbor, Union

Schedule for the first day of the NAIA Baseball National Championship, Friday, May 23, Harris Field, Lewiston, ID (all times PDT):

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8:30 AM: #7 seed Spring Arbor (37-7) vs. #10 Jamestown (32-18)

Spring Arbor, located in Spring Arbor, MI, is last year’s runner-up.

Significant wins: Bellevue, Madonna, Saint Xavier (2)
Top position players: Jim Baker (.528, 8 HR, 50 RBI), Jonathan Herbig (.385, 1 HR, 31 RBI), Brad Baker (.368, 7 HR, 39 RBI). Baker’s average is the best in the NAIA.
Top pitchers: Colin O’Connell (9-1, 1.95 ERA), Jesse Bachman (8-2, 2.43 ERA), Cody Sharp (7-1, 3.99 ERA)
Coach: Sam Riggleman, 4^th season
Outlook: The Cougars won’t repeat last year’s runner-up performance.

Jamestown (Jamestown, ND) is making their first appearance in the Baseball National Championship since 2004.

Significant wins: Saint Xavier (2), Bellevue (2)
Top position players: Ben Cairns (.399, 8 HR, 37 RBI), Cam McLachlan (.383, 6 HR, 37 RBI)
Top pitchers: Steve Hirchert (4-0, 2.78 ERA), Graham Campbell (9-4, 4.66 ERA)
Coach: Tom Hager, 9^th season
Outlook: The Jimmies are looking for their first-ever win in this tournament. They should get it this time.

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11 AM: #8 Bellevue (51-15) vs. #9 Ohio Dominican (40-14)

Bellevue (Bellevue, NE) is making their twelvth appearance in the national championship tournament. They finished fourth last year.

Significant wins: Jamestown
Top position players: Matt Anderson (.421, 7 HR, 43 RBI), Nick Damas (.419, 11 HR, 44 RBI)
Top pitchers: Ulysses Roque (12-1, 1.87 ERA), Jon Ganzen (8-0, 2.47 ERA)
Coach: Mike Evans, 20^th season
Outlook: The Bruins will get a win against Ohio Dominican.

Ohio Dominican (Columbus, OH) is making their first national championship tournament appearance since 2005.

Significant wins: Embry-Riddle, Missouri Baptist, Saint Xavier (2)
Top position players: Joe Janusik (.425, 3 HR, 50 RBI), Matt Shiring (.371, 4 HR, 22 RBI)
Top pitchers: David Colopy (11-1, 1.98 ERA), Jonathan Kountis (6-2, 3.26 ERA)
Coach: Paul Page, 21^st season
Outlook: The Panthers are happy to be here.
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Tags: Azusa Pacific, Bellevue, Embry-Riddle, Jamestown, Lee, Lewis-Clark State, Ohio Dominican, Oklahoma City, Spring Arbor, Union

West Coast Super Regional - At Harris Field, Lewiston, ID:

Lewis-Clark State 4, Azusa Pacific 3
Matt Fitts pitched a complete game for the Warriors, allowed six hits, struck out nine. Ikaika Lester hit a home run, and singled in the winning run in the seventh inning.

Lewis-Clark State wins their second straight West Coast Super Regional, and Azusa Pacific gets an at-large berth in the national championship tournament.

Plains Super Regional - At Jamestown, ND:

Jamestown 12, Bellevue 6
Cam McLachlan batted in the winning run in the top of the fifth. Nick Damas and Matt Anderson hit home runs for Bellevue.

Jamestown qualifies for the national championship tournament. Bellevue will get an at-large berth if Oklahoma City wins the Mid-South Super Regional.

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Tags: Azusa Pacific, Bellevue, Cumberland, Embry-Riddle, Jamestown, Lee, Lewis-Clark State, Oklahoma City, Spring Arbor, Union

West Coast Super Regional - At Harris Field, Lewiston, ID:

Lewis-Clark State 4, Azusa Pacific 3
Sean Halton went 4-4 with a home run for the Warriors. Michael Guerrero went seven innings, got the win. Warrior Coach Ed Cheff was ejected in the second inning.

Next game: Thursday, May 15, 6 PM PDT.

All Lewis-Clark State games are webcast by KOZE. Both teams have already qualified for the national championship tournament.

Plains Super Regional - At Jamestown, ND:

Jamestown 6, Bellevue 5
Ben Cairns hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth to win it for the Jimmies.

Next game: Thursday, May 15, 1 PM CDT.

Live play-by-play is available from Jamestown.

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Tags: Azusa Pacific, Bellevue, Cumberland, Embry-Riddle, Lee, Lewis-Clark State, Oklahoma City, Spring Arbor, Union

Region I: At Nat Bailey Stadium, Vancouver, BC:

Lewis-Clark State 14, College of Idaho 4
The #2 Warriors got all the runs they needed in the first inning, and won their second straight Region I championship.

Region III - At Comet Field, Mayville, ND:

Jamestown vs. Northwestern
Postponed due to weather.

Region IV - At Hobart-Detter Field, Hutchinson, KS:

Bellevue 16, Park 7

Bellevue 9, Park 4
#11 Bellevue wins their 11^th straight regional title. Story from Park University site: Bellevue Outs Park in Region IV Baseball Title Series

Region V – At Lindenwood University, St.Charles, MO:

Lindenwood 3, Avila 2 (Avila eliminated)

Missouri Baptist 5, Lindenwood 5 (tie)
The final ended in a tie due to unplayable field conditions. The game was stopped with two out in the bottom of the ninth. #24 Missouri Baptist advances to the super-regional against Oklahoma City because they were the highest remaining seed.

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Tags: Bellevue, Cumberland, Lee, Lewis-Clark State, Lubbock Christian, Oklahoma City, Spring Arbor, Union

Region I: At Nat Bailey Stadium, Vancouver, BC:

British Columbia 8, Concordia-Portland 6 (Concordia-Portland eliminated)
Grand slam home run by Mike Styrna wins it for the Thunderbirds. Story from tbirdbaseball.net: UBC 8, Concordia-Portland 6

Lewis-Clark State 11, College of Idaho 0
Matt Fitts went eight innings, allowed one hit.

College of Idaho 6, British Columbia 2 (British Columbia eliminated)
The Thunderbirds failed to solve C of I’s Pat Lyon, who scattered seven hits over eight innings. Story from tbirdbaseball.net: College of Idaho 6, UBC 2

Saturday, May 10 (all times PDT):

noon: #2 Lewis-Clark State vs. College of Idaho
If C of I wins, the final game will start immediately afterward.

All Lewis-Clark State games are webcast by KOZE.

Region II - At Azusa Pacific University:

Azusa Pacific 8, Concordia-Irvine 5

#4 Azusa Pacific wins the Region II championship.

Region III - At Comet Field, Mayville, ND:

Mayville State 12, Dickinson State 6 (Dickinson State eliminated)

Northwestern 6, Briar Cliff 3 (Briar Cliff eliminated)

Jamestown 16, Mayville State 3 (Mayville State eliminated)

Saturday, May 10 (All times CST):

1 PM: Jamestown vs. Northwestern
4 PM: Jamestown vs. Northwestern, if necessary
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Tags: Auburn-Montgomery, Bellevue, British Columbia, Cumberland, Lee, Lewis-Clark State, LSU-Shreveport, Lubbock Christian, Oklahoma City, Spring Arbor

Region II - At Azusa Pacific University:

Concordia-Irvine 4, Cal Baptist 3 (10 inn.) (Cal Baptist eliminated)
Cameron Bayne hit a two-run home run and got a save for the Eagles. Enrique Lechuga, who had only two hits this year, batted in the winning run. Steve Goins pitched 10 innings for the Lancers, struck out 15.

Azusa Pacific 9, Point Loma Nazarene 6 (Point Loma Nazarene eliminated)

Fresno Pacific 8, Biola 5

Thursday, May 8 (see http://www.gsacsports.org/gsacbase.html for times):

#4 Azusa Pacific vs. #10 Fresno Pacific
Concordia-Irvine vs. #20 Biola

Region III - At Comet Field, Mayville, ND:

Dickinson State 18, Morningside 10

Jamestown 12, Northwestern 1 (mercy-ruled after 7 innings)

Mayville State 10, Briar Cliff 5

Thursday, May 8 (All times CST):

10 AM: Morningside vs. Northwestern (loser out)
1 PM: Dickinson State vs. Briar Cliff
4 PM: Mayville State vs. Jamestown
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Tags: Azusa Pacific, Bellevue, Biola, Cumberland, Embry-Riddle, Fresno Pacific, Lee, Lewis-Clark State, Lubbock Christian, Madonna, Oklahoma City, Spring Arbor, Wayland Baptist

Results of the NAIA Coaches’ Poll for May 7, 2008, the final poll for this season. Comments below.

Rank	Apr. 30	School (Region)	Record	Total Points
1	1	Lubbock Christian (TX) (VI)	50-2	500
2	2	Lewis-Clark State (ID) (I)	47-5	476
3	3	Lee (TN) (XIII)	53-7	459
4	5	Azusa Pacific (CA) (II)	41-8	438
5	4	Oklahoma City University (VI)	49-10	420
6	7	Embry-Riddle (FL) (XIV)	39-14	389
7	6	U. of the Cumberlands (KY) (XI)	43-12	383
8	8	University of Mobile (AB) (XIII)	42-14	345
9	11	Tennessee Wesleyan College (XII)	41-15	334
10	10	Fresno Pacific University (CA) (II)	34-12	306
11	14	Bellevue (NE) (IV)	45-12	290
12	13	University of St. Francis (IL) (VII)	41-9	289
13	12	Wayland Baptist (TX) (VI)	43-14	286
14	15	Union College (KY) (XII)	40-14	217
15	16	Auburn-Montgomery (AL) (XIII)	41-19	213
16	24	Madonna (MI) (VIII)	36-12	193
17	17	Trevecca Nazarene (TN) (XI)	36-14	160
18	20	LSU-Shreveport (XIII)	44-14	141
19	9	Spring Arbor University (MI) (VIII)	32-7	138
20	19	Biola University (CA) (II)	34-16	115
21	NR	Oklahoma Baptist (VI)	43-14	100
22	22	Malone College (OH) (IX)	36-11	95
23	23	Warner Southern (FL) (XIV)	33-22	58
24	RV	Missouri Baptist (V)	37-14	48
25	18	Texas Wesleyan (VI)	40-14	36

First-place votes: Lubbock Christian 20
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Tags: Azusa Pacific, Embry-Riddle, Fresno Pacific, Lee, Lewis-Clark State, Lubbock Christian, Madonna, Oklahoma City, Tennessee Wesleyan, U. of Mobile, U. of the Cumberlands, Wayland Baptist

Region II - At Azusa Pacific University:

Azusa Pacific 13, Concordia-Irvine 3 (mercy-ruled after 8 innings)

Fresno Pacific 15, Cal Baptist 5 (mercy-ruled after 8 innings)
Jacob Burns 5-5 for the Sunbirds.

Biola 10, Point Loma Nazarene 2
Complete game for Brian Albert of the Eagles, held the Sea Lions to six hits.

Wednesday, May 7 (All times PDT):

11 AM: Concordia-Irvine vs. Cal Baptist (loser out)
2:15 PM: #5 Azusa Pacific vs. Cal Baptist
5:30 PM: #10 Fresno Pacific vs. #19 Biola

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Tags: Auburn-Montgomery, Azusa Pacific, Biola, Cal Baptist, Cumberland, Embry-Riddle, Fresno Pacific, Lee, Lubbock Christian, Oklahoma City, Point Loma Nazarene, Spring Arbor, U. of Mobile, U. of the Cumberlands, Wayland Baptist

Results of the NAIA Coaches’ Poll for April 23, 2008. Comments below.

Rank	Apr. 16	School (Region)	Record	Total Points
1	1	Lubbock Christian (TX) (VI)	43-1	525
2	2	Lewis-Clark State (ID) (I)	40-4	500
3	3	Lee (TN) (XIII)	49-5	487
4	4	Oklahoma City University (VI)	44-8	454
5	5	Azusa Pacific (CA) (II)	37-8	443
6	6	University of Mobile (AB) (XIII)	39-10	415
7	7	U. of the Cumberlands (KY) (XI)	39-10	386
8	8	Embry-Riddle (FL) (XIV)	36-12	385
T9	9	Tennessee Wesleyan College (XII)	35-13	340
T9	10	Spring Arbor University (MI) (VIII)	24-5	340
11	11	Wayland Baptist (TX) (VI)	39-10-1	310
12	12	Fresno Pacific University (CA) (II)	31-11	290
13	14	University of St. Francis (IL) (VII)	34-7	283
14	13	Union College (KY) (XII)	35-11	223
15	16	Bellevue (NE) (IV)	32-11	220
16	17	Trevecca Nazarene (TN) (XI)	30-11	214
17	19	Biola University (CA) (II)	32-12	192
18	15	Auburn-Montgomery (AL) (XIII)	37-18	169
19	18	Texas Wesleyan (VI)	33-12	154
20	22	Malone College (OH) (IX)	31-9	129
21	20	LSU-Shreveport (XIII)	38-12	108
22	NR	Avila (MO) (V)	27-11	68
23	23	Warner Southern (FL) (XIV)	30-20	67
24	RV	Southern Polytechnic (GA) (XIII)	37-13	32
25	RV	Madonna (MI) (VIII)	29-11	26

First-place votes: Lubbock Christian 21
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Tags: Azusa Pacific, Embry-Riddle, Fresno Pacific, Lee, Lewis-Clark State, Lubbock Christian, Oklahoma City, Spring Arbor, Tennessee Wesleyan, U. of Mobile, U. of the Cumberlands, Wayland Baptist

Results of the NAIA Coaches’ Poll for April 16, 2008. Comments below.

Rank	Apr. 9	School (Region)	Record	Total Points
1	1	Lubbock Christian (TX) (VI)	40-1	475
2	2	Lewis-Clark State (ID) (I)	35-4	453
3	3	Lee (TN) (XIII)	45-5	440
4	5	Oklahoma City University (VI)	40-8	408
5	4	Azusa Pacific (CA) (II)	33-8	393
6	T6	University of Mobile (AB) (XIII)	36-10	366
7	T6	U. of the Cumberlands (KY) (XI)	37-9	349
8	8	Embry-Riddle (FL) (XIV)	33-12	347
9	10	Tennessee Wesleyan College (XII)	31-12	317
10	9	Spring Arbor University (MI) (VIII)	20-5	291
11	11	Wayland Baptist (TX) (VI)	36-9-1	272
12	14	Fresno Pacific University (CA) (II)	28-10	257
13	12	Union College (KY) (XII)	32-9	254
14	13	University of St. Francis (IL) (VII)	25-6	237
15	15	Auburn-Montgomery (AL) (XIII)	35-15	218
16	18	Bellevue (NE) (IV)	29-10	169
17	16	Trevecca Nazarene (TN) (XI)	25-11	161
18	17	Texas Wesleyan (VI)	30-11	144
19	19	Biola University (CA) (II)	28-12	123
20	23	LSU-Shreveport (XIII)	34-12	102
21	22	William Jewell College (MO) (V)	29-11	93
22	NR	Malone College (OH) (IX)	24-9	70
23	20	Warner Southern College (FL) (XIV)	28-19	60
24	25	Oklahoma Baptist University (VI)	32-8	47
25	NR	Jamestown College (ND) (III)	19-6	41

First-place votes: Lubbock Christian 19
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Tags: Azusa Pacific, Fresno Pacific, Lee, Lewis-Clark State, Lubbock Christian, Oklahoma City, Spring Arbor, Tennessee Wesleyan, U. of Mobile, U. of the Cumberlands, Wayland Baptist