LCSC Stays Alive With Win Over Antelope Valley

LEWISTON, Idaho. — J.R. Robbins decided who his starting pitcher for Tuesday’s Avista NAIA World Series game would be Monday evening when he pulled Tyler Burch from the mound.

“I told him as I went out and talked to him,” Robbins said. “He had 24 hours to sleep on it and get his mind right and come out and do just a hell of a job for us on the mound. He’s a tough kid and a true Warrior.”

That job was Burch pitching 6.1 innings with five strikeouts while giving up six hits and one earned run as the Warriors stayed alive with a 5-3 victory over Antelope Valley in the 500 th NAIA World Series game played at Harris Field.

“The biggest thing for me was to bounce back,” Burch said. “Last night wasn’t me.”

The Warriors opened the scoring when Kasey Bailey scored after a single by Cory Voss in the top of the first inning. Antelope Valley responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning. LC stretched its lead to 4-1 with a succession of one-run innings – fourth, fifth and sixth. In the fourth, Joey Parente doubled then advanced to third on a wild throw before scoring on another wild throw.

Voss accounted for the fifth-inning score with a home run over the left-field fence. It was his 11 th of the season.

In the sixth, Darren Trainor, who reached on a walk, scored on A.J. Davis’ single to left center.

Antelope Valley closed the gap to 4-3 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh. Robbins brought Tanner Simpson in in relief of Burch but Simpson but Simpson threw four successive balls to loead the bases. Gage Burland came in in relief of Simpson and walked in one run before Mitchell Cox grounded out to end the inning.

In the eighth inning, Raymond Pedrina scored the run that gave LC the final 5-3 margin. After reaching on a fielder’s choice, he scored on Voss’ double to deep left field.

Burland faced just four batters in the bottom of the eighth and three in the bottom of the ninth to keep the Warriors’ hopes of a 20 th national championship alive.

For Burland, the Warriors’ closer, coming in in the seventh was early for him.

“Coach said it, just leave it on the field,” Burland said. “That’s what I did every pitch. You don’t know which one is going to be the last; just go out 100 percent on every throw.”

Robbins commended his performance.

“Gage – what an animal tonight. That was huge,” Robbins said. “He shut the door for us.”

Voss led the Warriors at the plate with three hits and three RBI in five appearances. As LC’s catcher, his post-game comments were focused on the pitchers he caught.

“Those two, they are Warrior baseball,” he said. “You just give them the ball and let them toe it up and let them do what they do. All I’ve got to do is call some pitches and let them go to work. It was very fun today.”