Story Photos
 LCC pitcher Mike Greene closes out a victory in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader against Grays Harbor. Greg Ebersole / The Daily News
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LCC keeps Chokers in check
Sunday, April 20, 2008 12:23 AM PDT
By Rick McCorkle
rmccorkle@tdn.com
Printable version
E-mail this articleIt's been said that good pitching will stop hitting.
Five Lower Columbia College hurlers combined to check Grays Harbor on nine hits as the Red Devils claimed both ends of an NWAACC Western Division baseball doubleheader on a soggy David Story Field on Saturday.
But while the LCC pitchers were doing their job, the Red Devils' offense was also stifled for a combined nine hits in the twinbill. The Devils won the opener 6-1, and used late-inning heroics to claim the nightcap 3-1.
LCC, winner of its last five games, is now 13-17, 9-3 in league. Grays Harbor dipped to 9-21 and 4-8.
"Our pitching was great all day and kept us in both games," LCC coach Kelly Smith said. "We gave up two runs on a pair of solo home runs. Normally whenever we give up only one run we have a good chance of winning."
A combination of rain, hail and snow curtailed the start of the game 36 minutes. After play started, the game was halted for 19 minutes in the second inning for a hail storm. Play resumed and went another hour before rain stopped play for an additional 34 minutes.
Despite the constant starting and stopping of play, LCC pitcher Chad Wagner remained sharp. The sophomore righthander checked the Chokers on three hits and struck out four before yielding to reliever Michael Greene in the sixth.
LCC gave Wagner sufficient run support in the second inning when it parlayed two hits, two walks, a hit batter and an error into five runs. Luke Zirkle opened the frame with a double, and later moved to third after consecutive free passes to Bo Lybeck and Jeremy Lorence loaded the bases.
Zirkle scored when Alex Lovell was hit by a pitch, Lybeck was plated when Jett Hart grounded into a fielder's choice that erased Lovell at second base, and Lorence and Hart scored when Sean Winston was safe on a fielding error by the Harbor shortstop.
Winston scampered to second on the error, and scored when Richie Allen beat out an infield single.
The Chokers' run came on a solo home run by Ricky McKinney in the top of the third, but LCC countered in the bottom of the inning when Zirkle doubled off the right-center field fence and later scored on a wild pitch.
LCC failed to take advantage of other scoring opportunities. In the fourth, back-to-back fielding errors put runners at second and third with two outs, but Zirkle popped out to end the threat. An inning later, LCC milked consecutive two-out walks, only to have Hart strike out to end the inning.
"Our situational hitting was good in the second inning but that's about it," Smith said. "This is a feel-good team, and if we can get off to a good start then we have lots of confidence. We could've scored a few more runs but we wasted some at-bats. Unfortunately, that's who we are."
In the nightcap, the Devils loaded the bases in the first inning but were held to one run. Hart walked to open the inning, went to second on a sacrifice bunt from Winston and scampered to third on an infield single from Allen.
Brooks Lindsley walked to load the bases, and Shawn Peterson singled to right field to score Hart and keep the bases full. The Devils couldn't capitalize on their good fortune as Lorence struck out and Lybeck grounded out to end the inning.
"We had them on the ropes, but we took a called third strike which really deflated us because we're really fragile," Smith said. "Their pitcher really settled in and did a good job pitching backwards in the count with curve balls when he was behind. He really made us look silly."
Harbor lefty Tyler Warne scattered four hits and struck out five LCC hitters before stepping aside for reliever Kyle Reeves in the seventh.
"Year in and out we hit curve balls off the pitching machines, and it's frustrating when we don't look for balls," Smith said. "We should've backed away from the plate because he was killing us."
LCC starter Tyler Lichty held Harbor to three hits and struck out seven batters when he was lifted for reliever Ryan Graves with two outs in the sixth inning. Graves cruised through the sixth, but gave up a solo homer to Logan Capp in the seventh that tied the game at 1-1.
In the bottom of the seventh, LCC re-gained the lead when Lybeck and Nic Shadle coaxed consecutive walks, Lovell hit into a fielder's choice that erased Lybeck at third, and Shadle scored when Hart hit a ball that caromed off the Harbor shortstop's leg into left field.
The Devils added an insurance run in the eighth when pinch-hitter Zirkle led off with a base hit to center field and was replaced by pinch-runner De'Andre Wheeler. Consecutive ground out by Lindsley and Peterson moved Wheeler to third, and he scored when Lorence hit a flair over the second baseman into right field.
"That eighth inning was spearheaded by Zirkle," Smith said of his sophomore. "You would've thought I would've played him the whole game after how well he hit in the opener, but I've seen him bat against left-handers."
Graves picked up the victory in relief, and Lindsley threw the final 1 2/3 innings for the save.
The Red Devils visit Grays Harbor for a single game today, and entertain Bellevue on Wednesday.
Game 1
Red Devils 6, Chokers 1
Grays Harbor 001 000 0-1 3 2
Lower Col. 051 000 x-6 3 2
Jordan Lundberg, Danny Griffin (6) and Nate Libolt; Chad Wagner, Mike Greene (6) and Bo Lybeck.
Game 2
Red Devils 3, Chokers 1
Grays Harbor 000 000 100-1 6 1
Lower Col. 100 000 11x-3 6 2
Tyler Warne, Kyle Reeves (7) and Logan Capp; Tyler Luchty, Ryan Graves (6), Brooks Lindsley (8) and Bo Lybeck.
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