Baseball | 2/21/2014 5:17:00 PM

Box Score

LEWISTON, Idaho – The Lewis-Clark State College baseball team remained undefeated with its fifth straight win over a NCAA Div. II program this season, handing Western Oregon University a 7-2 setback Friday.

All five of the Warriors (5-0) victories this season have come against members of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, after opening the year with a four-game sweep over Montana State Billings. LCSC, ranked second in the NAIA national poll, jumped out to an early lead and held off any Western Oregon rally in the first of a four-game series.

After holding WOU scoreless in the top of the first inning, Lewis-Clark State opened the scoring with a lead-off Ryan Sells home run to left center. The Warriors scored two runs on a Cody Lavalli double down the right field line in the second inning as well. LCSC added two runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Michael Noteware allowed only three hits through the first four innings, but Western Oregon had two runs off of three hits in the fifth inning. Matt Taylor doubled to left center and brought in Chris Bradshaw and Austin Hamilton. Neither pitching staff allowed a runner on base through the bottom of the fifth to the bottom of the seventh. The Warriors sealed the win with a run in each of the seventh and eighth innings.

Sells and Lavalli both finished 2-for-3 at the plate, with a double, and two RBI. Noteware (1-0) grabbed his first win of the season on the mound. The senior allowed two earned runs on six hits. He fanned six Wolves, while walking one, through five innings. David Murillo made his first save of the season, closing the game and allowing only one hit through four innings.

Spenser Watkins (1-3) was credited with the loss. He threw seven innings and struck out four Warriors. Taylor was 2-for-4 with two RBI.

Both teams committed two errors. Western Oregon finished with seven hits, compared to LCSC's nine. The Wolves left six runners on base, while Lewis-Clark State stranded five.

"Noteware threw well," WOU Head Coach Kellen Walker said. "He's a good arm and was able to mix and match with a couple different pitches. We battled with him early but they were able to pull away as the game went on. Watkins competed for us. I thought he responded competitively after the Sells home run and Lavalli double. We are continuing to grow as a club and we will keep grinding to get this thing where it needs to be."

The second and third games of the series will be played Saturday. First pitch of Game 2 is scheduled for 12 p.m. Both games will have live stats on WOUWolves.com.

Lewis-Clark State 7, Western Oregon 2 (Feb 21, 2014 at Lewiston, ID)
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Western Oregon...... 000 020 000  -  2  7  2      (5-4)
Lewis-Clark State... 120 200 11X  -  7  9  2      (5-0)
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Pitchers: Western Oregon - Watkins,Spenser; Keller,Nick(8) and Falck,Caleb. Lewis-Clark State -
Noteware; Murillo(6) and Hawk.
Win-Noteware(1-0)  Save-Murillo(1)  Loss-Watkins,Spenser(1-3)  T-1:53  A-135
HR LCSC - Sells (3).
Weather: 45 degrees.  Overcast.