LEWISTON, Idaho – (Box Score) Championship host and No. 4 seed Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) remained unbeaten at the 2015 Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series Monday night with a 7-4 win over No. 8 Concordia (Calif.). The 59th annual event is being played out at Harris Field for the 16th-consecutive season.

With the win, the Warriors improve to 43-11 on the year and open the World Series 2-0 for the first time since 2008 – the last time that Lewis-Clark State won the national title. Lewis-Clark State will play No. 2 Faulkner (Ala.) tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. PDT.

“Concordia had all the momentum and they are so well coached, so we knew we would have to play our best of the season – and we didn’t,” said Lewis-Clark State head coach Jeremiah Robbins. “But it was one of our more competitive games. When you get competitive efforts from all your pitchers and your entire roster that allows you to get in that winner’s bracket and stay in the winner’s bracket.”

Junior outfielder Seth Brown continues to be the catalyst for the Lewis-Clark State offense, as the Medford, Ore., native finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. He smashed his 18th double on the season in the game.

Nick Sagendorf claimed the victory for Lewis-Clark State. The junior right-hander threw six innings – his third longest outing of the season – surrendered four hits, two runs (both earned), walked one and struck out three. The win, which improved his season record to 5-1, is his first since beating NAIA West Group rival Simpson (Calif.) on April 19.

“Nick (Sagendorf) was shaky at first, but he got it back and just go into a good rhythm,” Robbins said. “We liked his slider and his fastball was down, which actually set us up well to bring in Beau (Kerns).”

Beau Kerns was credited with his first save of the year.

Much like they did against Davenport, Lewis-Clark State’s bats wasted no time getting going. The Warriors scored the game’s opening run in the top of the first on a Brown single.

Concordia’s offense had shown little signs of life until the bottom of the fifth when John Doering – the eagles No. 9 hitter – singled through the hole at shortstop. On the very next pitch, Ryan Goodman smoked a double into the right-center field gap. Doering came around the score on the play, sliding around the tag of the Lewis-Clark State catcher, to tie the game 1-1. A Spencer Nielsen single scored Goodman to give the Eagles their first lead of the night, 2-1. The two-out rally had an abrupt ending as Nielsen was cut down attempting to get back to first base.

Lewis-Clark State responded immediately, knotting the game 2-2 on a bunt base hit by Robert Smith Jr. that scored Max Whitt from third. Witt walked on five pitches to open the inning. He advanced via a ground ball and wild pitch. The Eagles worked out of the jam, striking out Zach Holley and inducing a ground out by Cabe Reiten.

Raymond Pedrina opened the seventh frame with an infield single, followed by a Brown double to place runners on second and third for the Warriors with no outs. An intentional walk of Whitt following a strikeout of Ty Jackson loaded the bases for Lewis-Clark State.

Julian Ramon wasted no time, hammering a two-RBI single to center field to propel the Warriors back in the lead, 4-2. Michael Sexton, who was pinch hitting for Smith Jr., also joined the hit parade, sending a single to right field. The hit scored Whitt from second base and gave Lewis-Clark State a 5-2 advantage. The bleeding for Concordia continued, as a snap throw to third squirted away from the Eagles’ third basemen allowing Lewis-Clark State to score a fourth run in the inning.

Concordia pulled two steps closer in the bottom of the seven on a sacrifice fly and an infield single. Back-to-back base hits set the table for Ryan Land, who sent the second pitch he saw into left field to score Robert Shiroky from third. Doreing then struck again with a single to shortstop. The single scored Schwab from third and cut the deficit to 6-4.

Whitt added an insurance run for the Warriors in the ninth with a solo home run off the scoreboard in right field. The long-ball is his 16th of the season, which ranks second on the club and sixth nationally.

Concordia entered the night hitting a World Series-best .389 as a team, while also ranking among the top teams in earned run average (1.50).

Doering was the only Eagle with more than one hit on the evening, as six different players combined for the squad’s seven hits.

Garrett Kraemer, who pitched one inning of relief for starter Robbie Ingram, took the loss to fall to 2-1 on the year. He allowed three runs (all earned) on two hits.

With the loss, the Eagles fall to 49-17 on the season and drop into the elimination bracket to play No. 6 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) at 3 p.m. PDT tomorrow.

Stretch Internet, the NAIA’s official video-streaming company of 17 select NAIA national championship events, will be broadcasting the first 15 games of the 2015 Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series. The All-World Series package can be purchased for $20. Visit www.NAIANetwork.com for more information.

The Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series is a 10-team, double-elimination event hosted by Lewis-Clark State (Idaho). For more information on the 59th annual event, click HERE.