May 30, 2008

(Official Bracket) (Championship Central) (Watch It Live)

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME NO. 2 - Friday, May 30 (Harris Field)
7:05 p.m. PST - No. 3 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) (57-7) vs. No. 1 Lee (Tenn.) (63-9)

Thanks to a 7-6 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) victory over Lee (Tenn.) last night, the rubber match will be contested Friday (May 30) in the 2008 AVISTA-NAIA World Series Championship Game No. 2. The No. 1 seeded Flames are out to win its first ever World Series and first ever NAIA Championship in any team sport. Conversely, No. 3 Lewis-Clark owns 15 rings and 115 World Series wins, both NAIA records. Game-time is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. PST from Harris Field on the campus of Lewis-Clark State.

The probable starters for tonight are Josh Rose for Lee and Mike Guerrero for Lewis-Clark State. Rose has yet to appear in this World Series. On the year, he holds a 5-0 record with a 4.70 ERA in 38.1 innings. He has given up 26 runs on 42 hits in 38.1 innings. He has posted 33 strikeouts to 28 walks.

Guerrero started in the 9-4 win against Oklahoma City on Monday and got a no decision. He went 2.1 innings allowing four runs on four hits and he struck out three. On the year, he stands 8-1 with a 2.61 ERA in 15 appearances (11 starts). In 82.2 innings, he has struck out 65 and walked 25.

LCSC and Lee will meet in the "winner-take-all" Championship game. It will mark the first time that the same two teams have played in Championship finals in consecutive nights since Lewis-Clark State and Oklahoma City in 2003. LCSC took down OCU in the second final game 7-5 to win its 13^th title.

SERIES HISTORY IN WORLD SERIES (LCSC leads 3-1)
2008: Lewis-Clark State wins 7-6
2008: Lee wins 5-2
2007: Lewis-Clark State wins 11-7
2005: Lewis-Clark State wins 5-4

FUN FACTS
No. 1 Lee (Tenn.) University (63-9)
...holds a 5-5 record in World Series action and appearing in first Championship game.
...searching for its first World Series title (in third appearance); first ever team NAIA Championship in any
sport.
...stands 1-3 against Lewis-Clark State in World Series.
...looking to become the first No. 1 seed to win the World Series since teams were seeded beginning in
2003.
...its pitching staff has allowed 39 base hits in 45.0 innings thus far. They own a 4.00 ERA, .87 points below Lewis-Clark State for the lowest mark.
...Brian Bistagne is among the leaders in the World Series batting 9-for-19 (.474) with seven RBI and five runs scored.
...Chris Warters leads the remaining participants with three home runs. He has a team-high 20 on the season.

No. 3 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) College (57-7)
...holds a 15-5 title game record all-time; has won its last four title National Championship game appearances.
...in facing Lee, the Warriors have now taken on 17 different opponents in the title game.
...has won 14 of their last 16 World Series games overall.
...had their seven-game World Series winning streak snapped in the loss to Lee.
...searching for its NAIA record 16^th National Championship.
...Brian Ward is team's hottest hitter sporting a .409 average (9-for-22) to go with four 2Bs, three homers, and six RBI.
...leads the Tournament field in runs scored per game (9.1) and extra-base hits with 22 (12 2Bs, 3 3Bs, 7 HRs).
...owns the most Championships (15), wins (115) and appearances (27) than any other baseball program.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME NO. 1 RECAP - No. 3 Lewis-Clark State def. No. 1 Lee, 7-6
Brian Ward smacked two home runs and No. 3 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) College (57-7) scored the game's final five runs staying alive in the 2008 AVISTA-NAIA World Series with a 7-6 dramatic victory over No. 1 Lee (Tenn.) University (63-9) in Championship Game No. 1 from Harris Field. Since Lee had an undefeated 4-0 World Series record and LCSC held one loss heading into tonight, both teams will play a "winner-take-all" game Friday.

Matt Fitts, who becomes the second Warrior in program history to go 13-0, pitched the complete game. The junior right-hander overcame six runs (four earned) on nine hits. He fanned 10 and walked one batter. He extended his scoreless streak to 11 straight innings before Lee's Chris Dubon snapped that pitching success by lacing a double down the left-field line to score two runners. That hit gave Lee a 2-1 lead.

Before Dubon's hit, Ward lifted the first pitch of the fourth inning out of the park, staking Lewis-Clark to a 1-0 lead. It was his first homer of the World Series and seventh of the year. In his next at-bat, his drive to left field just glanced off the second row of signs past the fence and tied the score at 2-2 in the sixth.

Just like many times this Series, the Flames countered with an immediate comeback. Chris Warters drove in three runs with his shot to right before Dubon capped off the scoring with a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth frame.

Lee's Pablo Lopez, who came into game having allowed just one run on five hits in 12.0 innings this World Series, swallowed his first loss of the year in relief. Entering in the seventh inning with the bases loaded, Lopez allowed two runners to score as LCSC started its comeback. Paul Martin greeted Lopez with a single through the right-side of the infield before Kyle Greene cut the margin at 6-4 with an RBI-fielder's choice.

Lee appeared to make another response to the Warrior score by loading the bases in the bottom of the seventh with one out. But Fitts whiffed Warters and forced Dubon into a ground-out to end the threat.

After a scoreless eighth, LCSC put its first two runners on in the ninth on singles. Brent Wyatt then pushed them over on a sacrifice bunt. After a strike out, Greene stepped to the plate with two outs.

Entering with a .400 (6-for-15) average, Greene pushed a grounder past shortstop Brian Bistagne driving in Chris Valencia and Ryan Anderson to notch the count at 6-6.

The game-winning hit came off the stick of Ward on his RBI-double just two batters later.

Fitts, who won the contest on 122 pitches, stuck out one and forced two ground-outs in the bottom of the ninth to wrap up the victory.

Jeremy Hutslar, Warters and Dubon each had two hits for the Flames. Warters and Dubon each drove in three runs as well. Ward and Sean Halton picked up three hits for the Warriors while Valencia went 2-for-3.

NOTES:
...There were a combined four home runs and six extra base hits tonight.
...LCSC's Brian Ward becomes the first player to hit multi-homers in a game since teammate Beau Mills knocked out a Series-record three bombs in the 2007 Championship game.
...Chris Warters, the Flames 1B, hit his World Series best third home run.
...The top five hitters in the lineup for Lee posted seven of the team's nine base hits.
...The Warriors have won 14 of their last 16 World Series games overall.
...LCSC improves to 3-1 all-time against Lee in World Series play.