NAIA World Series : Southern California Swamped by Lewis-Clark

Defending NAIA champion Lewis-Clark State College took advantage of numerous big innings to defeat Southern California College, 17-2, Friday night at the NAIA World Series.

SCC will face Georgia College in a losers’ bracket of the double elimination tournament at 5 o’clock today.

The Vanguards scored the game’s first run, an RBI single by Ron Nelson in the second inning, but the Warriors’ rallied for two runs in the third, three in the fourth and four in the fifth. Lewis-Clark led 9-1 after five.

Left fielder Joe Padilla provided the big hits for the Warriors (49-19) with a three-run homer in the fourth and a two-run single in the fifth. Later, he hit a solo homer in the sixth.

The top-ranked Warriors got 20 hits in a 17-1 drubbing of fourth-ranked Georgia College Thursday. Lewis-Clark had few troubles with SCC’s pitching, chasing starter Ed Adams in the fifth.

Adams gave up two home runs (Keith Peterson had a solo homer in the second) and had loaded the bases by walking three batters in the fifth before leaving.

Brian Thomas and Dale Bonfield both hit RBI singles to account for the Warriors’ other runs in the fifth.

The Warriors barrage continued in the sixth. Lewis-Clark got back-to-back homers from Peterson, a grand slam, and Padilla and scored seven runs to push its lead to 16-2.

In other action:

Georgia College 8, Elon (N.C.) College 2--Dennis Jones hit a grand slam and Bill Blair added a three-run homer Friday as the Colonials eliminated the Fighting Christians.

Jones and Blair backed the six-hit pitching of Darin Chaplain, 11-2, who was virtually untouchable except for a two-run Elon rally in the sixth inning.

Loser Greg McDannold, 9-4, gave up both Colonial home runs, walked two batters and struck out five.

Elon’s Troy Harris hit his second homer of the tournament in the sixth.

Elon ended the season at 40-10.

Phillips University 13, Northern Kentucky 6--Tom Berger pitched 3 innings of shutout relief for the victory as the Patriots beat Northern Kentucky.

Berger (7-3) entered with one out in the bottom of the sixth and Phillips clinging to a 7-6 lead. He allowed only a double to Gary Flowerdew while striking out four and walking three.

Four Phillips batters had three hits apiece. One was Jeff Evans, who broke a 4-4 tie in the fifth with a run-scoring double and finished with three RBI. Teammate Lou Carbonare also had three hits and three RBI.

Northern Kentucky used a tournament record seven pitchers. Loser Jerry Poore (8-5) allowed three runs.

Phillips (52-17) faces the St. Francis-Dallas Baptist loser on Saturday.

Northern Kentucky finished the year at 35-24.