Lewiston,ID - A late comeback effort fell just short with the tying run 90 feet away for the UBC Thunderbirds in game one against Lewis-Clark State, and a walk-off double won game two for the Warriors as they swept the doubleheader by scores of 7-6 and 2-1 at Harris Field on Friday.
The T-Birds entered the ninth down 7-4 in game one, and after two quick outs to start the inning, Andrew Firth and Adam Quan both singled and Greg Densem drew a walk to chase Warriors reliever Austin Pentecost from the game.
Zach Arneson took over and began by hitting Kevin Nickel to drive in a run, and Keaton Briscoe's high chopper off the plate scored a second run while earning him an infield single. But Arneson bounced back to strike out Blake Carruthers and end the comeback threat one run shy with the bases loaded.
Alfonso Casillas had a monster day offensively for Lewis Clark, and he got the Warriors off to a quick start in game one with a two-run homer in the first inning and a two-RBI single in the second. He went 6-for-9 for the day with two home runs and 7 RBIs, including the knockout blow in game two. UBC led 1-0 heading into the ninth but after Cody Weiss and Trent Bridges both singled, Casillas doubled down the right field line for the walk-off win.
It was a huge performance that couldn't have come at a better time for the Warriors, who had been shut out in four consecutive games heading into the series with UBC. The wins improve their overall record to 23-11 and 12-6 in the conference, closing the gap on the North Division-leading T-Birds, who fall to 24-10 overall and 20-5 in the conference.
Blake Carruthers and Kevin Nickel had three hits each on the day to lead UBC at the plate.
The Warriors were up 5-0 after the first two innings of game one, but UBC starter Eric Brown shook it off and held them off the scoreboard for the remainder of his six innings of work. He took his first loss of the year to fall to 7-1. Tyrell Poggemeyer got the win, allowing four runs - three earned - off nine hits over 7.1 innings.
The T-Birds got a run in the fifth on an Andrew Madsen RBI single, and two more in the sixth from an RBI double from Nickel and an error, to cut the Warriors lead to 5-3. But the Warriors put two more on the board in the seventh - one on Casillas' second homer of the game and another unearned run on a throwing error.
In game two, the only UBC offence came when back-to-back walks put Andrew Firth on second for Nickel, who singled to centre to put the 'Birds up 1-0.
David Otterman had held the Warriors off the board with just five hits in eight innings, but still took the tough loss after Casillas got to him with one out in the ninth. He finished with two runs on eight hits allowed and eight strikeouts to just one walk in 8.1 innings.
Alex Murrieta got the win for the Warriors for 2.1 scoreless innings of relief work after Tyler Barrett lasted 6.2 innings to start.
The teams have three games still ahead in this series, with the next two going Saturday in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
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