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LEWISTON, Idaho - Steve Sabins and
Brandon Roper-Hubbert both hit home runs and closer Phillip Reamy pitched a
season-high 6.2 innings to help No. 7 Embry-Riddle University (Fla.) erase a
6-1 deficit in the third inning and claim a 10-7 win over top-ranked
Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho) in a loser-out contest at the 54th annual
Avista NAIA World Series at LCSC's Harris Field on Tuesday afternoon.
Both Sabins and Roper-Hubbert slugged two-run home runs and combined to
drive in five runs as the seventh-seeded Eagles (47-18) guaranteed
themselves no worse than a fourth-place finish in the 10-team
double-elimination tournament.
LCSC, which scored five runs in the
top of the first inning and appeared to be on its way to a big win, lost for
the second time in less than 24 hours and finished the season at 48-5. The
Warriors were the top-ranked team the entire regular season.
While
the Embry-Riddle bats matched the Warriors with 13 hits apiece, the
difference maker was Reamy. The 6-foot-2 junior right-hander from Cocoa,
Fla., entered the Series with 23 innings pitched in 21 appearances. He had
10 saves, but only rarely pitched more than one inning.
In Tuesday's
contest, Reamy entered in the third inning after starter Ryan Vigue failed
to get out of the first inning and Austin Quinn was also roughed up in just
1.2 innings. Trying to stop the bleeding, Eagles' coach Randy Stegall turned
to Reamy, who allowed six hits and only one run. He also struck out six
while easily throwing a season-high 89 pitches.
Roper-Hubbert, who
went 2-for-4 with two RBI, hit his two-run home run during a four-run fourth
inning that helped the Eagles take a 7-6 lead. The Eagles then
went up 8-6, but LCSC's Pat Murray made it 8-7 in the top of the eighth with
a solo home run.
In the bottom of the eighth, LCSC closer Henry
Buenrostro hit Jeff Lemon with a pitch and Sabins followed with his two-run
blast to give the Eagles the final margin of victory.
Reamy improved
to 5-0 with the win, while Zach Clanton, the third of four LCSC pitchers,
took the loss to fall to 2-2.
The Warriors rolled early with the big
first inning as they sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs on
five hits. Josh Ashenbrenner had an RBI double, while Murray added an RBI
single. Brian Gaylord then provided the big hit with a three-run home run.
J.T. Warmoth put Embry-Riddle on the board with an RBI single in the
second, but LCSC answered in the third on a bases-loaded single by Jason
Hague.
Embry-Riddle made it 6-2 in the bottom of the third on an RBI
single by Aaron Glaum, and then added four in the fourth when an error
helped score the first run, while Sabins added a sacrifice fly RBI before
Roper-Hubbert's home run.
Embry-Riddle took the lead for good in the
fifth on a walk, two sacrifice bunts, and a ground out.
Glaum
finished 2-for-5 with an RBI, while Sabins was 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Warmoth also added two hits.
Brian Burke went 3-for-5 with two runs
scored for LCSC, while Gino Casini went 3-for-4. Gaylord drove in three
runs, while Murray had two RBI.
Embry-Riddle will take on Lee
University on Wednesday. If Lee defeats Cumberland in Tuesday's late game,
the contest will be at 7 p.m. If Lee loses, the contest will be at 3 p.m.
GAME NOTES: Previous to tonight’s outing of 6 2/3 innings, Phillip
Reamy’s longest pitching appearance was 3 1/3 innings on two previous
occasions this season… The Warriors, owners of an NAIA-record 16 World
Series titles, wraps up their 29th event with a 118-35 record… Embry-Riddle
has now won three games in the World Series in three different events (2010,
2005, 2002)… The Eagles improve to 16-17 all-time in the World Series…
Overall, Embry-Riddle has won nine of it last 11 games on the season… With
his double in the game, Embry-Riddle’s Steve Sabins has tallied four doubles
(in eight games) during the Championship (Opening Round and World Series).
World Series Individual Leaders: (Through 14 games)
Batting
Average Jason Hague, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) – .670 (4-for-6; 3 games)
T.J. Murphy, Cumberland (Tenn.) -- .600 (3-for-5; 2 games)
Hits
Tyler Kuehl, Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) – 10 Brian Sharp, California
Baptist – 7 Steve Sabins, Embry-Riddle (Fla.) – 7
Doubles
Tanner Moore, Lee (Tenn.) – 3 Michael Brown, Lee (Tenn.) – 3 Tyler
Kuehl, Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) – 3
Triples 4 players tied
with 1
Home Runs Kris Miller, Cumberland (Tenn.) – 2 Steve
Sabins, Embry-Riddle (Fla.) – 2
RBI Brian Sharp, California
Baptist – 7 Brandon Roper-Hubbert – 6 Rashad Taylor, Point Loma
Nazarene (Calif.) – 6
Runs Scored Rashad Taylor, Point Loma
Nazarene (Calif.) – 6 Tyler Kuehl, Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) – 5
Garrett Rau, California Baptist – 4 Wes Kartch, Point Loma Nazarene
(Calif.) – 5
Steals Max Loveland, Tennessee Wesleyan – 2 Aaron
Glaum, Embry-Riddle (Fla.) – 2
Innings Pitched Chad Blauer, Point
Loma Nazarene (Calif.) – 18.0 innings (2 games) Austin Quinn,
Embry-Riddle (Fla.) – 12.2 innings (2 games)
Batters Struck Out
Chad Blauer, Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) – 22 (in 18.0 innings) Aaron
Wilkerson, Cumberland (Tenn.) – 13 (in 9.0 innings) Shawn Schaefer,
Cumberland (Tenn.) – 11 (in 9.0 innings) Scott Swinson, Lee (Tenn.) – 11
(in 9.0 innings) Austin Quinn, Embry-Riddle (Fla.) – 11 (in 12.2 innings)
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