LEWISTON, Idaho – It took 14 runs and 16 hits to allow Lee to defeat host Lewis-Clark State in NAIA College World Series action before nearly 5,000 fans at Harris Field on Saturday evening.
The wild and at times crazy 14-11 victory was being billed as a pitching duel between ace Myles Smith (11-1) and LC-State’s Carsen Nylund (6-1), but Smith battled control problems and lasted only two innings, while Nylund was lifted after 3 2/3 innings.
The three hour and two minute slugfest featured four lead changes, 25 combined runs and 27 combined hits. Four Lee hurlers walked eight batters and hit five other Warriors with pitches. The win sends Lee (50-10) into a winner’s bracket matchup with No. 3 seed Embry-Riddle (Fla.) on Monday at 9:30 p.m. EDT.
“It certainly wasn’t what I expected,” admitted coach Mark Brew. “I think our hitters are carrying a chip on their shoulders. They have watched as our pitchers command a lot of attention this season.”
Lewis-Clark State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly by senior catcher Kyle Blackwell, but Lee immediately answered back with six runs in the top of the second, taking advantage of a Warrior error to jump-start the rally.
Unfazed, the Warriors fought back from the four-run deficit and placed its own six-spot on the board in the bottom of the third to retake the lead 8-6. Smith lost his command in the frame, hitting two batters to force in one run and walking home another.
It was Lewis-Clark State starter Nylund’s turn to make an early exit in the fourth inning, exiting with arm tightness after giving up a two-out walk to Danny Canela to load the bases. Designated hitter Corey Davis cleared them with a triple down the right field line to greet reliever Garrett Wilson as the Flames regained a 9-8 advantage.
“Corey’s triple was huge and got us back in the lead for good,” noted Brew. “Canela was great at the plate all night. I’m proud of the way our guys hung in there when the leads kept slipping away.”
That lead widened to 10-8 in the fifth on a mammoth home run by Lee first baseman Karsten Strieby, his third of the season. The solo shot cleared the fence in straightaway center field. Canela helped stretch the margin with a two-run homer in the sixth and the Flames added an insurance run in the seventh when Brandon Rader singled and scored on Brady Renner’s double.
Canela paced the 16-hit attack with two one-base hits, a home run and four RBI. Josh Silver also had three hits, three runs batted in and two runs scored. Strieby had a single to go with his homer. He tallied twice. Davis also had a one-base knock to go with his triple.
Derrick Pitts and Rader joined the two-hit club, while Brady Renner walked twice and was hit by a pitch. He scored four times and added an RBI with his two-base hit. Cameron Brewster had an infield hit that produced an RBI.
Junior Keegan Yuhl (4-1) was the winning pitcher. He worked four innings and allowed five hits, two earned runs, struck out five and walked two. “Keegan gave us exactly what we needed,” praised Brew. “He helped us finally take control against a very good Lewis-Clark hitting team.”
Andy Hillis came on to pitch the final two innings. Sal Arena (1-4) was charged with the Warrior pitching defeat.
