Written by World Series Media Staff
Photo by Referee Photo

LEWISTON, Idaho – (Box Score) Joe Moran drove in three runs and the top of the Bellevue (Neb.) order combined for five hits, six RBI and three runs scored to help the Bruins check off another box with an 8-5 win over host Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) in the 60th annual Avista NAIA World Series at Harris Field on Wednesday night.

Moran, Trevor Jones and Ross Feeley, the top three hitters in the Bruins’ lineup, all had strong games at the plate. Moran went 2-for-5 with three RBI, Jones was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Feeley was 1-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored.

Bellevue’s victory left three teams with one loss remaining in the tournament after Faulkner (Ala.) eliminated Tennessee Wesleyan 4-3 in 11 innings in Wednesday’s first contest. Because all three remaining teams have had a bye, Lewis-Clark State, as the final team that was undefeated in the 10-team double-elimination tournament, will get the bye into Friday’s championship game. That means third-seed Bellevue (54-11) will face top seed Faulkner (52-14) at 6:35 p.m. on Thursday with the winner advancing to Friday’s championship game, also at 6:35 p.m., against fourth-seeded Lewis-Clark State (51-8).

The 54 wins for Bellevue are the most since the 2005 season and the third highest total in a season. This comes after the team lost early in the NAIA Opening Round. After the loss, the coaching staff made a check list of all the things the team would have to do and games it would need to win in order to capture the Series title. Wednesday’s victory allowed another box to be checked.

“It’s basically just a one-game at a time check list,” Bellevue coach Duane Monlux said. “We just keep checking the boxes.”

LCSC took the early lead, but it was all Bellevue after that.

The Warriors jumped on Bellevue starter Ben McKendall for two runs in the top of the first. Logan Griffin started the game with a single and Robert Smith followed with a walk. Both came in on a double by J.J. Robinson.

“It was a gutty performance for us tonight,” Monlux said. “To be down 2-0 right away wasn’t the start we were looking for. And we were playing in front of a crowd that was mainly against us. Most of our guys have never played in front of a crowd like this.”

Bellevue scored the next six runs with solo runs in the second and third, and then four more in the fourth. Joe Mancuso reached on an error in the Bruins’ second and scored on a double by Matt Evans, while Jones singled and scored in the third on a single by Moran.

Bellevue broke the 2-2 tie in the four-run fourth. A double by Jake Browne and walks to Connor Garrison and Jones loaded the bases with two outs. Feeley then singled off the glove of LCSC reliever David Wilson to score Browne. Moran then followed with a double to left-center that cleared the bases when the LC left fielder couldn’t cleanly handle the ball.

The Warriors got two back in the top of the fifth to cut the lead to 6-4. Smith started the rally with a single and moved to third on a single by Jacob Zanon. A wild pitch then scored Smith, while pinch-hitter Dylan Tashjian’s grounder scored Zanon. Tashjian now has five RBI in his three pinch-hit at-bats in the Series.

The Warriors threatened in the sixth as they loaded the bases after two were out, but reliever Kevin Rodriguez stuck out Zanon to end the threat.

Bellevue made it 7-4 in the bottom of the sixth. Garrison singled with one out, stole second, and scored on a single by Jones.

LCSC answered with a run in the top of the seventh as Tyler McDowell drew a two-out walk and went to on Cabe Reiten’s single. Gunnar Buhner followed with a ground-rule double that scored McDowell. A hit batter loaded the bases, but Griffin grounded out to end the threat.

Bellevue added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on a double by Garrison, who moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. He then scored on Ross Feeley’s sacrifice fly.

“It was a great game,” Monlux said. “There was scoring in every inning but the ninth. There were lots of runs and great plays. Just a great game.”

Thursday’s matchup will be only the second time that Bellevue and Faulkner have faced off. The other time was during the 1997 regular season with Bellevue claiming a 9-4 victory.

This is Bellevue’s 13th appearance in the Avista-NAIA World Series and the team has an all-time record of 23-24. The Bruins are guaranteed a top three finish for the fourth time. The team won the championship in 1995, finished second in 1997 third in 2001.

Faulkner is making its 5th appearance and is 12-7 overall. Faulkner won the title in 2013 and was third last season.

Lewis-Clark State will be playing in its 20th national championship game on Friday night. The Warriors have won an NAIA record 17 titles, including the 2015 crown, and have finished second twice. LCSC has an overall series record of 136-45.

Thursday’s contest will be shown live on ESPN3.

The Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series is a 10-team, double-elimination event hosted by Lewis-Clark State (Idaho). For more information on the 60th annual event, click HERE