JOURNAL SPORTS

After slugging its way to an 11-run victory Tuesday, there’s one step left for the unbeaten LSUS baseball team to make its way to the NAIA World Series.

At 4:30 today on their homefield, the 53-0 Pilots will try to clinch their trip to Lewiston, Idaho and finish a three-game sweep in the Shreveport Opening Round of the NAIA Tournament. They’ll face either Johnson (Tenn.) or Mid-American Christian (Okla.), who meet earlier today in an elimination game for the right to line up against LSUS.

If the No. 1-ranked Pilots lose for the first time this season, they will have a rematch Thursday afternoon for the regional championship.

Mid-American (39-16) stayed alive Tuesday with a 7-6 triumph that sent Ottawa (Kan.) home.

Johnson (36-17) fell for the first time this week, absorbing a 15-4 drubbing from LSUS as the Pilots piled up 13 hits and raced to a 10-1 lead after three at-bats.

Ryan Davenport’s three-run double fueled LSUS’ second-inning uprising. An inning later, the Pilots pushed across six more runs with Vantrel Reed’s two-run double as the most productive swing.

Davenport was among four Pilots with at least two hits, and he led the way with 5 RBI. Josh Gibson and Anthony Swenda each had three hits and 2 RBI, with Swenda cracking a home run.

Jackson Syring had two hits and Diego Aragon drove in three runs for LSUS. Four Pilots pitchers combined to limit Johnson to seven hits and four single-run innings.

LSUS is aiming for its first regional championship since 2022. The Pilots have been upset on their homefield in regional play each of the past two seasons.