LEWISTON, Idaho – The Bushnell University baseball team recorded a win for the history books on Saturday evening, defeating tournament host Lewis-Clark State College, 13-5, at Harris Field for their first-ever Cascade Collegiate Conference playoff victory.
 
Bushnell (27-24), the four-seed in the tournament, recorded a single-game school-record 20 hits to snap LC State's NAIA-leading 16-game winning streak. It was the first loss at Harris Field for the Warriors (35-10) this year, who had finished the regular season with a 20-0 record at home.  
 
Head Coach Tommy Richards said, "More than anything, I am proud of our team for being ready to play and rising to the challenge. We were excited to play and competed as a unit."
 
Cade Crist, who hit a go-ahead grand slam to remember in the fourth, added, "The boys came out hot today and got the job done. Great pitching and all-around defense. Awesome way to get our first playoff win."
 
All nine starters recorded at least one hit, including three off the bat of Albert Jennings, Isaiah Hart (pictured), Crist and Reece Carganilla.
 
The Beacons got on the board in the top of the first on a bases-loaded walk, but the Warriors answered in the bottom half with a two-run homer by Jake Gish.
 
Daniel Furman tied it up in the second with an RBI-single and scored on a base-hit by Jordan Wilson to go up 3-2. LC State scored two runs in the bottom half and one in the third to go up 5-3. That turned out to be the final run for the Warriors as the Beacons went on to score 10 unanswered.
 
The Beacons put up four runs in both the fourth and fifth innings, all via homers, to make it an 11-5 advantage. Crist sent a momentum-shifting two-out grand slam over the right field fence in the fourth, his 12^th of the year. Jennings hit a three-run shot in the fifth and Hart added one more with a solo homer in the following at-bat. 
 
A couple insurance runs in the ninth sealed the game at 13-5.
 
Nate Rasmussen got the start in the Beacons' first-ever playoff game, tossing 3.2 innings. Alec Gums (3-2) had another impressive outing to get the win, throwing a scoreless 5.1 frames in relief, allowing four hits with five strikeouts against a powerhouse offense.
 
Gums said, "We came out to play today. Offense was on a role, defense was making plays and overall battled through as a team. Huge win for the Beacs!"
 
Up Next: Bushnell takes on the three-seed, University of British Columbia, on Sunday at 11 a.m. The loser will play an elimination game at 5 p.m., while the winner advances to the CCC Championship on Monday.  
 
CCC Tournament Page