LEWISTON, Idaho – Oklahoma City University scraped out a 2-1 victory over Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) on Saturday night at Harris Field in the NAIA World Series.
The second-ranked Stars (47-10) survived to meet ninth-ranked Lubbock Christian (Texas) at 9 p.m. Oklahoma time Monday. No. 11 Lewis-Clark State fell into a losers bracket game vs. Lee (Tenn.) at 2 p.m. Monday.
Corey Theriot earned the victory for the Stars, moving to 11-1 on the year. Theriot struck out eight and allowed one run on six hits, three walks and four hit batsmen in 7.1 innings in a 114-pitch performance. Allen Townsend worked an inning, then Dearth Parker got the final two outs for his second save this year. Those three combined to strand 14 Lewis-Clark State runners in a contest witnessed by 3,305.
In the ninth inning, Parker got Lewis-Clark State first baseman Alonzo Casillas to hit a grounder to the pitcher's mound. Parker threw to OCU third baseman Scott Dalrymple, who worked with Parker and second baseman Brian Fisher to retire Lewis-Clark State's Trent Bridges, who tried to advance from second base.
After Parker gave up a walk to put runners on first and second, Kevin Lovelace lined out to Parker to finish the game.
Lewis-Clark State left the bases loaded in the fourth and the eighth. In the fourth, Theriot worked out of the bases-full jam by striking out Kyle Knigge and retiring Braxton Miller on a groundout back to the mound. Lewis-Clark State had runners on first and second, but Theriot picked off the lead runner for the first out of the inning. Lovelace reached on a hit by pitch, then Cody Weiss' single filled the bags.
In the eighth, Townsend relieved Theriot with runners on first and third. Knigge walked to load the bases, then Billy Silvestri hit a fly ball to left field, but Mark Purser's throw kept the runner on third. Connor Moore grounded out to second to retire the side.
Moore got to third base in the seventh by reaching on a hit by pitch, stealing second, then tagging up on a fly ball. Theriot left Moore on third by fanning Brian Gaylord and putting away Casillas on a groundout to third.
OCU scored the eventual winning run in the fifth. Terrance Jackson scored from third on a groundout by Parker to put the Stars ahead 2-0.
The Stars scored first in the third when Dalrymple reached home plate as Parker kept the defense occupied with a rundown. Dalrymple led off the inning with a double to right-center field.
Knigge knocked in Lewis-Clark State's run on a double down the left-field line with two out in the sixth.
OCU had a runner on third in the seventh, but Parker lined out to Moore, who snared the ball on the run to finish the top of the inning. The Stars had runners on second and third in the first, but Ruben Sosa was thrown out trying to steal home. OCU left eight on base in the game.
Sosa, a junior from Lawrence, Mass., went 3-for-4, while Matt Presley, a senior from Colorado Springs, Colo., was 2-for-4 for OCU. Dalrymple, Miguel Beltran and Austin Messerli added hits for the Stars.
Boxscore
NAIA World Series
At Lewiston, Idaho
Harris Field
Times CDT
Friday's Results
Concordia 7, Faulkner 2
LSU-Shreveport 5, Lee 4
Lubbock Christian 7, Oklahoma Baptist 2
Lewis-Clark State 5, Tennessee Wesleyan 4
Saturday's Results
Lee 7, Faulkner 3, Faulkner eliminated
Oklahoma Baptist 8, Tennessee Wesleyan 6, Tenn. Wesleyan eliminated
Embry-Riddle 9, Concordia 3
Oklahoma City 2, Lewis-Clark State 1
Monday's Games
Game 9: Concordia vs. Oklahoma Baptist, 10:30 a.m.
Game 10: Lee vs. Lewis-Clark State, 2 p.m.
Game 11: Embry-Riddle vs. LSU-Shreveport, 5 p.m.
Game 12: Lubbock Christian vs. Oklahoma City, 9 p.m.
Tuesday's Games
Game 13: Winner Game 9 vs. Loser Game 11, 1 p.m.
Game 14: Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 12, 5 p.m.
Game 15: Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12, 9 p.m.
Wednesday's Games
Game 16: TBD, 5 p.m.
Game 17: TBD, 9 p.m.
Thursday's Game
Game 18: Championship, 9 p.m.
Friday, June 3
Game 19: If necessary, 9 p.m.
