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Mar. 22—The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming and the ding of a bat on a bright sunny day is once again bringing a smile to the faces of fans young and old at ballparks around the world.
Spring has officially sprung and baseball is back in full swing.
Within the walls of one of those ballparks — Harris Field in Lewiston — the Lewis-Clark State Warriors racked up a startling 30 hits across the home halves of 14 innings Saturday to beat the Corban Warriors by scores of 18-3 (concluded after seven innings because of the 10-run rule) and 8-1 in Cascade Conference play.
Among the most authoritative swings on a day rich with highlight hits came from the senior outfielder Cayden Wotipka.
Facing left-handed Corban reliever John Brabb, LC State coach Jeremiah Robbins sent Wotipka to the plate with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the fourth.
It proved to be a genius decision.
What followed requires rye bread and mustard in some households. Wotipka smacked a "grand salami," hammering a 2-2 pitch along the left field line and over the wall.
"I'm just looking to compete, really," Wotipka said. "It's no different than any at-bat, just getting the ball up and executing."
As a pinch hitter, Wotipka came into the game raw, having not faced Corban's pitchers yet.
That doesn't mean he wasn't ready.
"Oh huge," LC State leftfielder Brandon Nguyen, who had four hits of his own, said of Wotipka's grand slam. "Cayden's always swinging a bat in between innings and when his name was called, he was ready and that's all that we could ask for."
Robbins said that Wotipka had been working hard all season for a moment like this.
"He had a great session this morning in (batting practice)," Robbins said. "And obviously he had a great at-bat. I think he had two strikes on him when he finally walked that ball. He's a great human being, great competitor, great teammate, and made the most of his opportunity."
Sophomore third baseman Jackson Jaha paced the Warriors with seven hits, four RBI and five runs across the two games.
A nine-run fourth
With half of their damage done in a raucous fourth inning of their weekend opener, Lewis-Clark State (20-3, 12-3) beat Corban (11-7, 7-9) by 15 runs in Game 1.
Corban struck first with a Lucas Mertlich double, granting the visiting Warriors a 1-0 lead, before the home team got to work.
Bryce Johnson's RBI triple in the third — the third extra base hit of the inning — put LC State up 3-1 and provided just a preview of the fireworks to come.
The top eight LCSC batters in the order each got on base in the fourth inning, with few wasting any time at all.
LC State catcher Bulla Ephan led off the inning with a second-pitch single, shortstop Payton Smith drilled a first-pitch base knock and Nguyen ripped a first-pitch, two-RBI triple to left-center field, cranking up his speed to "11" and sliding in to third just in time to avoid the tag.
"That's a big moment for us. Triples, anytime you get one it's a great feeling," Nguyen said. "You're making a play for your team right there, get the next guy up and he's gonna get you in. You've got to have all that faith and you've got to risk it all for these guys."
Seven of LC State's RBI hits came on the first or second pitch during Game 1. Robbins said that analytics reveal that the first two pitches are the best pitches to hit in the average at-bat and that the LC State Warriors prepare accordingly.
"The goal is to waste no time," Nguyen said. "This team feeds off of momentum and one swing isn't gonna do it all the time and I believe in all these guys to get the job done."
LC State chased two Corban pitchers from the game and scored nine of their 18 total runs in that fourth frame.
Ephan capped the big inning with a home run of his own and LCSC tacked on three runs to each of the next two innings, highlighted by junior first baseman Ryan Prescott's three-run blast in the sixth.
Ace starting pitcher Evan Canfield secured his fourth win of the season, settling in after some early blips to turn in a five-inning line with two runs allowed (one earned), off of five hits, while striking out four and walking one.
Webb deals in Game 2
After some early trouble in Game 2, right-handed senior starting pitcher Landon Webb began to cruise, retiring the final eight batters of his outing.
Webb pitched six innings of one-run ball, striking out three and walking one while mixing his fastball and slider. Robbins said that Webb's velocity is down as he continues to recover from some back issues, but his ability to mix his pitches kept Corban off balance.
"We always know he's gonna come out there and compete," Nguyen said. "He might get hit around a little bit, but his demeanor won't change and I was just really impressed with what he did for us today."
Prescott aided Webb's perfect streak when he laid out for the liner off the bat of Corban's Chase Elliott to end the fifth inning. The home crowd greeted Prescott's acrobatics with a collective "oooooh" of approval.
LC State's offense was "quieter" than earlier in the afternoon but nonetheless efficient, scoring eight runs on 10 hits.
Closer as a team
After a comeback victory like LC State experienced last Sunday against Oregon Tech, when Nguyen's ninth-inning home run proved to be the difference in a 6-5 win, Robbins said that the Warriors have a new degree of confidence.
Their effort in Oregon may have even brought them closer together and carried over to this weekend.
"The win was a byproduct of their 'compete,' their trust ... passing the baton to the next guy, and it's created some chemistry on this team that we've been missing," Robbins said. "So it's the beauty of baseball, you never know what it's going to create."
Game 1
Lewis-Clark State 18, Corban 3
Corban 010 010 1—3 7 2
LCSC 003 933 x—18 20 1
Kovanen, Brabb (4), Gould (4), Hogarth (5), Henderson (6) and Hubbard; Canfield, Estrada (6) and Ephan.
W — Canfield (4-0); L — Kovanen (3-5).
Corban hits — Klee 2, Rickard 2, Mertlich (2B), Elliott, Shaffer.
Lewis-Clark State hits — Nguyen 3 (3B), Jackson 3 (2B), Prescott 2 (HR), Ephan 2 (HR), Madariaga 2 (2B), Smith 2, Weber 2, Wotipka (HR), Johnson (3B), Stinson (2B), Karagiannopoulos.
Game 2
Lewis-Clark State 8, Corban 1
Corban 010 000 000—1 5 1
LCSC 103 030 10x—8 10 1
Sprague, Pedronan (6) and Hubbard; Webb, Anderson (7) and Jones.
W — Webb (4-1); L — Sprague (1-4).
Corban hits — Elliott 2, Bateman, Klee, Mertlich.
Lewis-Clark State hits — Jackson 4 (HR), Johnson 2, Jones 2, Nguyen (2B), Madariaga.
Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2260, [email protected], or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.
Continue reading...
Spring has officially sprung and baseball is back in full swing.
Within the walls of one of those ballparks — Harris Field in Lewiston — the Lewis-Clark State Warriors racked up a startling 30 hits across the home halves of 14 innings Saturday to beat the Corban Warriors by scores of 18-3 (concluded after seven innings because of the 10-run rule) and 8-1 in Cascade Conference play.
Among the most authoritative swings on a day rich with highlight hits came from the senior outfielder Cayden Wotipka.
Facing left-handed Corban reliever John Brabb, LC State coach Jeremiah Robbins sent Wotipka to the plate with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the fourth.
It proved to be a genius decision.
What followed requires rye bread and mustard in some households. Wotipka smacked a "grand salami," hammering a 2-2 pitch along the left field line and over the wall.
"I'm just looking to compete, really," Wotipka said. "It's no different than any at-bat, just getting the ball up and executing."
As a pinch hitter, Wotipka came into the game raw, having not faced Corban's pitchers yet.
That doesn't mean he wasn't ready.
"Oh huge," LC State leftfielder Brandon Nguyen, who had four hits of his own, said of Wotipka's grand slam. "Cayden's always swinging a bat in between innings and when his name was called, he was ready and that's all that we could ask for."
Robbins said that Wotipka had been working hard all season for a moment like this.
"He had a great session this morning in (batting practice)," Robbins said. "And obviously he had a great at-bat. I think he had two strikes on him when he finally walked that ball. He's a great human being, great competitor, great teammate, and made the most of his opportunity."
Sophomore third baseman Jackson Jaha paced the Warriors with seven hits, four RBI and five runs across the two games.
A nine-run fourth
With half of their damage done in a raucous fourth inning of their weekend opener, Lewis-Clark State (20-3, 12-3) beat Corban (11-7, 7-9) by 15 runs in Game 1.
Corban struck first with a Lucas Mertlich double, granting the visiting Warriors a 1-0 lead, before the home team got to work.
Bryce Johnson's RBI triple in the third — the third extra base hit of the inning — put LC State up 3-1 and provided just a preview of the fireworks to come.
The top eight LCSC batters in the order each got on base in the fourth inning, with few wasting any time at all.
LC State catcher Bulla Ephan led off the inning with a second-pitch single, shortstop Payton Smith drilled a first-pitch base knock and Nguyen ripped a first-pitch, two-RBI triple to left-center field, cranking up his speed to "11" and sliding in to third just in time to avoid the tag.
"That's a big moment for us. Triples, anytime you get one it's a great feeling," Nguyen said. "You're making a play for your team right there, get the next guy up and he's gonna get you in. You've got to have all that faith and you've got to risk it all for these guys."
Seven of LC State's RBI hits came on the first or second pitch during Game 1. Robbins said that analytics reveal that the first two pitches are the best pitches to hit in the average at-bat and that the LC State Warriors prepare accordingly.
"The goal is to waste no time," Nguyen said. "This team feeds off of momentum and one swing isn't gonna do it all the time and I believe in all these guys to get the job done."
LC State chased two Corban pitchers from the game and scored nine of their 18 total runs in that fourth frame.
Ephan capped the big inning with a home run of his own and LCSC tacked on three runs to each of the next two innings, highlighted by junior first baseman Ryan Prescott's three-run blast in the sixth.
Ace starting pitcher Evan Canfield secured his fourth win of the season, settling in after some early blips to turn in a five-inning line with two runs allowed (one earned), off of five hits, while striking out four and walking one.
Webb deals in Game 2
After some early trouble in Game 2, right-handed senior starting pitcher Landon Webb began to cruise, retiring the final eight batters of his outing.
Webb pitched six innings of one-run ball, striking out three and walking one while mixing his fastball and slider. Robbins said that Webb's velocity is down as he continues to recover from some back issues, but his ability to mix his pitches kept Corban off balance.
"We always know he's gonna come out there and compete," Nguyen said. "He might get hit around a little bit, but his demeanor won't change and I was just really impressed with what he did for us today."
Prescott aided Webb's perfect streak when he laid out for the liner off the bat of Corban's Chase Elliott to end the fifth inning. The home crowd greeted Prescott's acrobatics with a collective "oooooh" of approval.
LC State's offense was "quieter" than earlier in the afternoon but nonetheless efficient, scoring eight runs on 10 hits.
Closer as a team
After a comeback victory like LC State experienced last Sunday against Oregon Tech, when Nguyen's ninth-inning home run proved to be the difference in a 6-5 win, Robbins said that the Warriors have a new degree of confidence.
Their effort in Oregon may have even brought them closer together and carried over to this weekend.
"The win was a byproduct of their 'compete,' their trust ... passing the baton to the next guy, and it's created some chemistry on this team that we've been missing," Robbins said. "So it's the beauty of baseball, you never know what it's going to create."
Game 1
Lewis-Clark State 18, Corban 3
Corban 010 010 1—3 7 2
LCSC 003 933 x—18 20 1
Kovanen, Brabb (4), Gould (4), Hogarth (5), Henderson (6) and Hubbard; Canfield, Estrada (6) and Ephan.
W — Canfield (4-0); L — Kovanen (3-5).
Corban hits — Klee 2, Rickard 2, Mertlich (2B), Elliott, Shaffer.
Lewis-Clark State hits — Nguyen 3 (3B), Jackson 3 (2B), Prescott 2 (HR), Ephan 2 (HR), Madariaga 2 (2B), Smith 2, Weber 2, Wotipka (HR), Johnson (3B), Stinson (2B), Karagiannopoulos.
Game 2
Lewis-Clark State 8, Corban 1
Corban 010 000 000—1 5 1
LCSC 103 030 10x—8 10 1
Sprague, Pedronan (6) and Hubbard; Webb, Anderson (7) and Jones.
W — Webb (4-1); L — Sprague (1-4).
Corban hits — Elliott 2, Bateman, Klee, Mertlich.
Lewis-Clark State hits — Jackson 4 (HR), Johnson 2, Jones 2, Nguyen (2B), Madariaga.
Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2260, [email protected], or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.
Continue reading...
