May 28, 2008

(Box Score)

LEWISTON, Idaho - Dallas Sims and Pablo Lopez combined on a five-hitter as top seed Lee (Tenn.) University moved into the driver's seat at the 52nd annual AVISTA-NAIA World Series by defeating two-time defending champion Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) College 5-2 on Tuesday night.

The win lifts Lee to 62-8 and leaves the Flames as the only undefeated team left in the 10-team double-elimination tournament. There are only four teams left and Lee is guaranteed a berth in the championship game in all but one scenario. The Flames are guaranteed no worse than a third-place finish, which will be their highest finish ever in the Series.

Sims, a senior right-hander, improved to 10-1 on the season by checking the Warriors on four hits and two runs (one earned) through six innings. He also allowed four walks. Lopez, a sophomore right-hander, pitched the final three innings and allowed one hit and two walks, but struck out three.

For No. 3 seed LCSC, 55-7, the five hits matched its second lowest hit total of the season. The Warriors, like Lee, had several scoring opportunities in the game, but couldn't collect the key hit. LCSC left 10 runners stranded on base, while Lee left 11.

To win its third straight title, LCSC now must win three consecutive games, starting with a 3 p.m. loser-out contest against Spring Arbor. Lee and No. 2 seed Oklahoma City meet at 7 p.m. Thursday's 7 p.m. game will depend on Wednesday's winners. If Oklahoma City defeats Lee, then three teams will remain, and one will receive a bye into Friday's championship game. In that scenario, if Spring Arbor can defeat LCSC, it would receive the bye because it is the only team remaining that did not receive a first- or second-round bye. However, if LCSC and Oklahoma City both win on Wednesday, then Lee will receive the bye into Friday's title game.

Tuesday's contest was scoreless through four innings, but Lee broke out to a 2-0 lead in the fifth. Jeremy Hutslar drew a one-out walk and went to third on a double by Clint Harrelson. Brian Bistagne then doubled down the left-field line to score both.

LCSC fought back with a run in the bottom of the inning when Nic Benton hit a one-out double, went to third on a passed ball, and scored on a ground out by Brent Wyatt.

Both teams then scored solo runs in the sixth. Hutslar had an RBI single with the bases loaded and two outs, while Brian Ward, who had three of LCSC's five hits, had a double and Josh Ashenbrenner followed with an RBI single.

Lee's final two runs came in the seventh after reliever Matt Stabelfeld entered the game. Stabelfeld allowed a single to Bistagne and then was tagged for a two-run home run by Chris Warters, his 19th homer of the season.

The first four hitters in Lee's lineup, Hutslar, Harrelson, Bistagne, and Warters did all the damage. The four combined for nine hits of Lee's 11 hits, all five RBI and four of the five runs.

LCSC starter Ryan Woods took the loss to fall to 8-2. He allowed eight hits and three runs in his six innings of work, but struck out seven and walked three. Stabelfeld allowed three hits and two runs, along with a walk, but struck out five.

It marked only the second time this season LCSC lost a game by more than one run. The other loss came last Tuesday in a 6-2 setback to the University of Washington in Seattle.