(Longview, WA) – The Lower Columbia College baseball team needed a sweep against Grays Harbor to enhance their chances to host a playoff.  LCC brought out the broom and dust pan to close out the regular season with four wins against Grays Harbor on May 10 and 11.
 
Despite appearing in the past seven NWAC tournaments and winning five of them, the Devils have never hosted a Super Regional tournament.  In 2022, LCC traveled to Roseburg and won a hard fought Super Regional over Umpqua, but the rest of the berths came from automatic qualifying by taking the Region title.  The last time the Devils didn't make it to the NWAC tournament was in 2014.  They will have to earn a trip to Story Field by winning a Super Regional at Story Field.
 
By taking the #2 seed in the West, the Super Regional will take place Friday May 17 and Saturday May 18^th on the LCC campus. Skagit Valley and Columbia Basin will square off in a loser out game at 12 pm Friday.  The winner will play LCC in game one of a best-of-three Friday night.  There will be a game Saturday at 12 pm and another at 3 pm if necessary.
 
LCC vs Grays Harbor Game One – Lower Columbia 6 Grays Harbor 3
 
The Devils used a four run 2^nd inning and then plated two more insurance runs in the 8^th to get the victory.  With one out in the second, LCC had four straight hits.  Nate Gray Jr. got it started with a single. Carson Hayes hit a double.  Langan Naylor singled home Gray.  Wren Cecil's single brought home Hayes.  Cayden Wotipka's sac fly scored Naylor.  Owen Cummins then hit an RBI single to bring home Cecil.
 
LCC starter Hunter Lutman had a no-hitter going through four innings.  Jean Michael Dejesus of Grays Harbor broke up the no-hitter with a solo homer to lead off the 5^th. Two more unearned runs came in on a freak play when the ball was popped straight up around home plate.  Miscommunication between catcher Royce Vandine, Lutman and Cecil allowed the ball to drop fair and two runs scored.
 
The Devil bullpen was solid.  Aaron Platner gave up just one hit and three innings.  Stephen Hammergren worked around two walks to close it out with a scoreless 9^th.
 
LCC added two insurance runs in the 8^th on a Wotipka RBI triple and Choker wild pitch.
 
Naylor and Cummins both had three hits. Cecil had two.
 
LCC vs Grays Harbor Game Two – Lower Columbia 9 Grays Harbor 1
 
Starter Jack DeDonato gave up one run in three innings. Middleman Hunter Grasser got the win with three innings of lights out pitching, allowing just two hits.  Carson Kruckman pitched the 7^th to nail it down.
 
With the score tied 1-1 in the 4^th, LCC exploded for five runs, highlighted by the three run homer from Wotipka. It was his third long ball of the season.  Matt Bailey followed Wotipka with an RBI double.
 
Hayes had two hits in the game.
 
LCC vs Grays Harbor Game Three – Lower Columbia 10 Grays Harbor 4
 
It was a quick turnaround on Saturday as the Chokers hosted the Devils for a pair of games at Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam, the first game at 11 am.
 
Noah Imboden got the win with a solid 5 innings. The box score supplied by Grays Harbor had Imboden going the distance but the reality is he went five innings.  Hayden Morrison followed with a clean inning.  Josh Mejia struggled with his control and walked the bases loaded after a strikeout. Chase Oxborrow minimized the damage with two big outs. Ox then finished with two more scoreless innings.
 
The Devils scored in six of the nine innings.  Wotipka went deep again, his 4^th.  The big sophomore was 2 for 5 with three RBI's.  Naylor, Cecil and Brayden Oram also had two hits each.  Jake Smith drove in two runs.
 
LCC vs Grays Harbor Game Four – Lower Columbia 5 Grays Harbor 3
 
After four scoreless innings Lower Columbia got on the board with a run in the 5^th on Cummins sacrifice fly.  The Chokers came right back with a two-run single off LCC starter Owen Luchies. The sophomore righthander went six innings scattering six hits with nine strikeouts.
 
Tied at two in the top of the 6^th, LCC scored two to take the lead.  Gray hit a sac fly and Naylor singled home a run.  In the 7^th Gray had a big hit driving in a pair with a double.
 
Joey Pearson got the save in the last inning, despite giving up a run.