LEWISTON, Idaho – The visiting Bushnell University baseball team dropped a pair of one-run games to No. 5 Lewis-Clark State College in Cascade Collegiate Conference action on Saturday, falling 9-8 in the extra-inning opener and 5-4 in game two.
Lewis-Clark State (33-9, 19-3) clinched the CCC regular season title, extended their win streak to 14 games and remained undefeated at home. Bushnell (26-22, 12-10) kept it close against one of the top teams in the nation, thanks in part to ninth-inning two-run homers in both games off the bat of
Albert Jennings.
Jennings said, "Even though the games didn't end the way we wanted, everyone stuck to the process and we played hard. I'm proud of our guys for not giving up."
Max Chapman, who started game two, added, "We played two really good games today against a quality team. The Beacons are going to get hot at the right time and we look forward to it!"
Game 1: LC State 9, Bushnell 8 (10 innings)
Jennings hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 8-8 but the Warriors ended it in the bottom of the 10
th, loading the bases before scoring on an error.
Bushnell trailed by as many as six runs in the contest, entering the sixth inning at a 7-1 deficit. The Beacons put up five runs in the frame, starting with a two-run single down the left field line by
Cade Crist.
Jameson Hussey followed with an RBI-single and
Kyle Casperson added two more with another base hit to make it a one-run game.
Carter Booth homered for the Warriors in the bottom of the sixth to bring it back to a two-run game. A pair of scoreless innings followed before Jennings sent a shot over the right field fence to tie it up. LC State kept their win streak alive with a walk-off in the 10
th.
Isaiah Hart recorded three hits for the Beacons. Casperson, Jennings and Crist tallied two apiece as Bushnell finished with an 11-9 edge in hits over LC.
Daniel Furman threw four innings in the start for the Beacons, allowing six runs.
Jayden Soriano tossed three innings in relief, giving up two runs on two hits.
Marques Brown faced the minimum in the eighth and
Trevor Hammond (6-3) pitched the final 1.1 frames.
Game 2: LC State 5, Bushnell 4
Brandon Cabrera hit a pair of two-run homers to lead the way in the nightcap. Shane Spencer (5-1) had an impressive outing for the Warriors, giving up just three hits and striking out 10 in eight innings of work. Jake Green got the save, allowing a two-run homer in the ninth before retiring the final batter.
The Beacons recorded four hits, including a solo home run by Crist in the eighth and another two-run homer off the bat of Jennings in the ninth. Furman also brought a run across early in the contest with a third-inning sacrifice fly.
Max Chapman (1-5) threw six innings for Bushnell, allowing four runs on four hits.
Blake Stavros pitched the next two frames, giving up a run on two hits.
Up Next: Bushnell concludes the regular season with another doubleheader tomorrow, beginning at 11:00 a.m. The Beacons will return to Lewiston the following weekend for the CCC Tournament.
