Tribune/Kyle Mills
Lewis-Clark State’s Mike Rivera is greeted at home by Paul Martin after belting a solo home run in the 12th inning against Oklahoma CIty.
In back-and-forth contest, Mike Rivera’s homer in the 12th
inning leads to Warrior outburst and a 9-5 victory over OCU
By JIM BROWITT
of the Tribune
It was inevitable - someone was going to change the game’s complexion, if not end it outright, by driving a ball out of Harris Field. Oklahoma City lofted several dangerous-looking shots, none of which quite got there.
Then a late-inning defensive replacement made it happen for Lewis-Clark State.
Mike Rivera tagged the fourth pitch of the 12th inning for his second home run of the year, initiating a game-breaking surge that presented the Warriors with a 9-5 victory over Oklahoma City on Monday evening, in a game watched by 5,160 fans, the sixth-largest NAIA World Series crowd in Lewiston history.
Prevailing in their first meeting with OCU in three seasons and in the most suspenseful game this tournament has seen since the 2006 finale, L-C earned a spot in tonight’s pivotal winners-bracket semifinal.
With a berth in the title round at stake, the Warriors, 55-6, will face Lee, the Series’ only other unbeaten team, at 7.
Oklahoma City, 56-11, will square off with Embry-Riddle in a loser-out game this afternoon at 3.
“That was a dandy,” said L-C coach Ed Cheff, whose team’s last extra-inning Series adventure was a 5-4 victory in 11 innings over Cumberland in the ‘06 title game. “Now we can enjoy it for about 20 minutes before we have to start focusing on what’s ahead.”
Rivera, however, will likely savor this for a while longer. The senior, put into left field in the 10th inning when OCU had two runners on, ended up making an impact with the bat rather than his arm. Leading off the L-C 12th, he connected on a fastball from Garrett Parker (2-3) and drove it just beyond the wall in right-center field.
“We needed the momentum, and I just felt like I had to put a good swing on something,” Rivera said. “I just ended up getting (the pitch) I was looking for.”
So started a rally that featured four runs and a parade of relievers that gave OCU a share of the Series record for pitchers used in a game, seven.
Brent Wyatt, who followed Rivera’s blast with a double, eventually scored on a wild pitch by Tristan Bugenis, the fourth of five OCU pitchers who appeared in the 12th. Sean Halton added an RBI single, driving in Ikaikia Lester, who had walked, then came around himself when third baseman Brent Weaver misplayed a popup by Josh Ashenbrenner.
That was sufficient support for Blaine Hardy (8-1), who gave up two singles in the bottom of the 12th but finally put away the Stars with a flyout and game-ending double play.
Hardy came on one batter into the eighth, replacing Justin Mace, who worked 42/3 innings of brilliant relief. The senior right-hander, who allowed four hits and two walks while striking out five, held opponents scoreless for his 10th consecutive appearance.
Hardy, wasn’t quite as dominant. After an throwing error by Wyatt, who otherwise played brilliantly at shortstop, put Kirk Walker on second to open the ninth, Weaver’s flyout to deep center moved Walker to third. Then David Dennis singled to right to tie the game 5-all.
The Stars put baserunners on in every extra inning, but Hardy got out of the first two jams via deep flyouts.
Oklahoma City showed some home run pop in the second inning, getting a two-run shot to right-center by Landon Camp for the game’s first scores. After L-C responded with a run in the top of the third, coming on the first of Kyle Greene’s two RBI singles, the Stars tacked on two more in their half of the third on RBI raps by Dennis and Brandon Moss.
At that point, Mace replaced L-C starter Michael Guerrero and got out of the third with two strikeouts.
While Mace stifled the Stars, L-C staged a gradual comeback, scoring single runs in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings. Then Sean Halton gave the Warriors the lead, opening the eighth with his sixth home run, to left-center.
