By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
LEWISTON, Idaho – Look at the box score from Monday night’s 6-3 LSUS baseball win over defending NAIA national champion Hope International and you’d see catcher Diego Aragon had a pretty big hand in the outcome.
He doubled to lead off the third inning, immediately after Hope grabbed a 2-0 edge, and scored moments later on Josh Gibson’s two-bagger down the left field line. Gibson came in with one out when Vantrel Reed doubled to tie it.
Aragon twice put the Pilots on top, with a fourth-inning RBI single and a sixth-inning push bunt in a first-and-third situation, the latter sacrifice making it 4-3.
That’s not the half of it, said LSUS coach Brad Neffendorf, whose top-seeded club sustained its perfect record with its 56th consecutive victory – and more important, moved to the third round of the NAIA World Series with a day off Tuesday.
Look at the Pilots’ pitching. Draven Zeigler and Brock Lucas were locked in, combining on a five-hitter with 13 strikeouts (10 by Zeigler in seven innings). Understand how Aragon steered them through the potent Hope lineup (the Royals have a team .357 batting average) and anchored the LSUS defense. After singing the praises of his pitchers, the coach immediately brought up the receiver.
“Diego Aragon caught his tail off tonight. He was a difference maker behind the plate for us,” said Neffendorf. “All around, he was the best guy tonight on the field.”
That’s a mouthful considering …
“Zeigler was outstanding, pitching like the high-level arm he is. Had as good of a start as he ever has, considering the circumstances and environment,” said Neffendorf.
The environment – obvious. The circumstances – remember, Zeigler (now 13-0) had to leave his last start with heat stress 13 days earlier just three batters into the regional championship game back home at LSUS.
He threw 105 pitches, 73 for strikes, Monday night. Then, said Neffendorf, “Lucas came in and was dominant on the back end once again,” earning his fourth save with two hitless innings, giving up only a walk and scattering 26 pitches among seven hitters.
Centerfielder Ian Montz nailed it down for LSUS in the ninth, delivering his third hit, a two-run, two-out single to centerfield boosting the margin to three runs. He earlier tripled and scored the go-ahead run and had the clinching RBIs off Hope’s left-hander, Josh Landry (11-1).
“Montz was extremely good. Led off (the sixth) with a triple (scoring on Aragon’s sacrifice) and (in the ninth) to go backside left on left with two outs and runners at second and third was huge,” said Neffendorf. “He’s starting to really come on for us lately, and a lot has to do with him being a guy who was on a JUCO national championship team.”
The fourth-seeded Royals (47-9) lost for the first time in nine games in Lewiston, where they played their regional after posting five straight wins coming through the loser’s bracket to capture last season’s NAIA title. They took their best shot at knocking off the No. 1 Pilots, who rapped 10 hits.
“Those 10 were off their top two arms,” said Neffendorf.
“Just another team win. Plenty of different contributions,” he said. “They stayed poised and loose and did exactly what they’ve done all year long.”
Although everybody else marvels at their 56-0 record, what’s got LSUS grinning is being 2-0 in the ultimate test, the national championship tournament.
Next up – either the second seed Georgia Gwinnett (the 2021 NAIA kingpins in its 11th straight World Series), or two-time champ No. 6 Southeastern (Fla.), in its seventh consecutive visit to Lewiston, Wednesday night at 8:30 CDT. Those teams play tonight.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com