Lewiston, Idaho - Inexperience was a non-factor in Game 2 of the Lewiston Bracket, as the Firestorm strode out to a 9-0 lead over #21 Oklahoma City and did not look back. Patience blended perfectly with efficiency at the plate, as Joe McDonald's offense pounced on early Star miscues. Despite the ballpark and stage being an unfamiliar one, ACU's brand of baseball was on full display and a winner's path toward the World Series is now under construction.

Andrew Ivy and Ryan Eastham each homered in the contest, Ivy's being a two-run shot that inflated the Firestorm lead to six and Eastham's albeit putting a bow on the victory in the ninth inning.

Matthew Beckworth had yet another multi-hit game (eight of his previous 14 games) and contributed a pair of RBI. Jared Anderson recorded his 18th double of the season and was impregnable at first base with eight putouts and one assist.

Deshon Thomas backed up his impressive performance in the 2024 GSAC Baseball Tournament (five hits, three RBI, six runs) with one hit and two runs against the two-seed Stars. 

Left fielder Marques Titialii stretched his hitting streak to 14 games with a first-inning single.

Eli Elliott, GSAC Pitcher of the Year, bounced back nicely after a sub-par performance against #12 Jessup in the conference championship opener. The senior from Glendale registered three strikeouts (99 on the season) in 5.2 innings and only conceded five hits en-route to his seventh win of the season. 

GAME INFO

Score: RV Arizona Christian 10 | #21 Oklahoma City 3
Records: RV ACU 34-19 | #21 OCU 35-17
Location: Harris Field - Lewiston, ID

STAT TRACKER

Andrew Ivy - 3 hits, 3 RBI, 1 home run
Ryan Eastham - 3 hits, 1 RBI, 1 home run
Matthew Beckworth - 2 hits, 2 RBI, 1 double
Deshon Thomas - 1 hit, 1 RBI, 2 runs
Jared Anderson - 1 hit, 2 runs, 1 double
Trey Tarver - 1 hit, 1 RBI
Jaylen Edmonds - 1 RBI, 1 run
Noah DeLuca - 2 runs
Eli Elliott - 5.2 IP, 3 RA, 3 K
Payton Robertson - 2.0 IP, 0 RA, 4 K

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

Titialii was responsible for the first hit of the ball game, but the Firestorm did not find their rhythm right out of the gates.

Any pre-game nerves were put to rest as Elliott produced a one, two, three first frame for Oklahoma City. Before Ivy's offensive presence could be felt, he demonstrated his athleticism in the outfield with a superb diving catch for the first out.

ACU put Andrew Limbaugh, OCU's starting pitcher, through the wringer in the second, as the first three runners got aboard (hit by pitch, walk, hit by pitch). Deep sacrifice flies by Beckworth and Edmonds scored a pair of runs for the Firestorm. A three-run burst was completed by Ivy, whose single not only turned into three total bases but a DeLuca run because of a fielding error committed by center fielder Aiden Alexander.

Elliott retained a 3-0 ACU advantage with a second straight one, two, three outing. His first two pitches resulted in two outs. Anderson rapped a one-out double in the third, and, following his steal of third base, Thomas ushered him home with the Firestorm's third sacrifice fly. 

Though Elliott issued his first walk of the game, he responded with three straight retirements including his first punch out (Hunter Brown). Anderson ensured the first OCU hit would have to wait, as he made an excellent diving stop and stamped on the first-base bag to put a third zero on the scoreboard posted in right field. 

With Edmonds (walk, steal) eagerly anticipating the pitch, Ivy released the tension with a towering home run over the tall center-field fence. Kane Kiaunis, the next man up, reached safely thanks to the Stars' second error and advanced to second on a proceeding wild pitch. Tarver took full advantage of their self-inflicted wound, a base knock securing ACU's seventh run.

Trent Kiraly, a First Team All-SAC selection, got OCU into the hit column but Elliott did not allow a scoring chance to fester with his second strikeout (Barrett Daniel). 

Thomas began a miniature run of three singles for the Firestorm in the fifth inning, and added his 21st stolen base of the season (T-4th single-season total in program history). A bloop single off the bat of Ivy sent DeLuca through home plate for the second time. With a 9-0 lead and only one gone, the game seemed to be quickly getting out of hand for the designated home team. Titialii and Kiaunis, however, were neutralized and the Stars escaped further disaster.

The OCU bats came out of hibernation in the fifth, as Alexander capped off a three-hit inning with a pay-off single that resulted in two RBI. Elliott's first sign of struggle was short-lived, a big 3-1 play stranding two runners. The Firestorm went down in order for the first time all game in the sixth, and a momentum shift was suddenly possible.

Elliott's day was done after a two-out single by Aiden Van Rensum, and Evan Hieb was tasked with the inning's final out. Hieb's first batter, Darian Duhon, singled and his hit was upgraded to run-producing after Thomas muffed the ball in right field. A proceeding groundout limited the damage to one and ACU was in front 9-3.

Back-to-back hits by Beckworth (double) and Sean Garcia (single) seemed to point to run insurance for the Firestorm, but the Stars turned an Ivy groundout into a double play. Payton Robertson, in his 16th appearance, utilized vigorous pace and only six pitches to secure just the second scoreless inning of the afternoon.

Following another fruitless inning by ACU, Robertson remained in for the eighth. Two walks with a single sprinkled in left the junior in a precarious position. Robertson had ice in his veins, however, and struck out two consecutive batters to send the Stars packing. Perhaps the most clutch strikeouts of Robertson's college career brought out an emotional response only postseason baseball can.

Eastham put the game even more out of reach with a solo home run in the ninth, completely erasing an 0-for-4 performance against OUAZ from his memory. Senior Riley Quinton simply dismissed any OCU notion of "comeback" with a strikeout and two force outs.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH JOE MCDONALD

"Today was a great victory as we got an electric pitching outing from Eli Elliott and tough at-bats all the way through the lineup with some clutch hitting and defense played very clean," Coach McDonald said. "We'll get some rest and be ready for tomorrow."

NEXT FOR THE FIRESTORM

Arizona Christian will take on one-seed and #5 Lewis-Clark State tomorrow, the host Warriors having defeated four-seed British Columbia 8-1 in Game 3. First pitch from Harris Field is set for 2:30 PM. The Firestorm possess the opportunity to insert themselves in the Opening Round championship game with another win. Don't miss a moment of the action with live video at https://lcwarriors.com/watch and live stats at https://lcwarriors.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary. 
                          
Roll Storm!