The Lewis-Clark State Warriors are heading back to the Avista NAIA World Series, and they did it in dramatic fashion—a 10th-inning walk-off that sent 570 fans into a frenzy at Harris Field.
Senior catcher Cade Westerlund delivered the decisive blow, slapping an RBI single down the left-field line to score senior right fielder Bryce Johnson, lifting the Warriors to a 3-2 victory over the Hope International Royals in the final of the NAIA Baseball Opening Round on Wednesday.
"I probably shouldn't have run onto the field as soon as I did," admitted Jackson Cloud, who couldn't contain his excitement. "But it's Cade—he works hard. Celebrating with the guys is unreal. We're all brothers."
With two outs and the bases loaded in a 2-2 game, Westerlund was simply looking for a good pitch to hit. He found it on the very first offering from Hope International starter Franky Lopez—his 126th pitch of the night. The 6-foot, 205-pound catcher from Chandler, Arizona, watched the ball skip past the Royals' third baseman and into the outfield, then leapt in disbelief as Johnson crossed home plate with his hands in the air.
"Just excited for the kids. They competed tonight, especially on the mound," said LC State coach Jeremiah Robbins. "Hope's guy threw a hell of a game, but our guys hung with it. They never quit. Good things happen when you don't quit."
The win marks a triumphant return to the World Series after a two-year hiatus, with the Warriors becoming the ninth team to punch their ticket to the tournament, which begins Friday, May 22, back at Harris Field. They'll join Tennessee Wesleyan, Georgia Gwinnett, Southeast (Ind.), Mid-America Christian (Okla.), Johnson (Tenn.), William Carey (Miss.), Doane (Neb.), and Taylor (Ind.) in the field.
The 10th inning started about as ugly as the Warriors could have imagined. Reliever Joey Estrada—usually rock solid—allowed a leadoff double, then misfired on a pickoff attempt that let the runner advance to third before surrendering a go-ahead RBI single. But Estrada escaped the inning, giving his offense just three outs to tie or win the game.
The message in the dugout was simple: keep competing. And that's exactly what the Warriors did, writing another unforgettable chapter in their storied program's history.