BAYNE OF CBU'S EXISTENCE
5/7/2008 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
AZUSA, Calif. --- Steve Goins and Dan Orlick took center stage and delivered in Wednesday's elimination game between California Baptist and Concordia, but it was the Eagles' Cameron Bayne who stole the spotlight.
Goins struck out a career-high 15 in 10 innings, and Orlick continued his dominance of the Lancers, giving up just one earned run in nine innings, but Bayne hit a two-run homer, threw out from left field what would have been the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth and then closed it up with a scoreless tenth on the mound to lift the Eagles to a 4-3, 10-inning victory over the Lancers in the second round of the NAIA Region II Baseball Playoffs.
The loss brings an end to the Lancers' season at 30-22, their program-record third straight 30-win season in their program-record fifth straight playoff appearance.
Concordia moves on in the tournament as they improve to 22-20.
After the Lancers scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings, Greg Davidson led off the tenth with a single up the middle on the first pitch from Goins. He then stole second, and Enrique Lechuga, who had just two hits all year, came through with an RBI single up the middle for what turned out to be the game-winner. Bayne then came on and shut the door for the save.
Bayne completely overshadowed what was nothing short of an impressive outing by Goins, who tossed 151 pitches and struck out a career-high 15. He also had two hits, including the game-tying hit in the ninth.
"Steve proved today that he's the best all-around player to ever put on a Lancer uniform," said CBU head coach Gary Adcock. "There was nothing else he could have done individually to win this game. He did it all. It's a shame we didn't get a win out of this. Replacing him is going to be like replacing two people."
Goins made just one mistake, giving up Bayne's two-run home run in the fifth, and that was hardly a mistake. In any other park Bayne's home run might have been caught just shy of the warning track, but at Azusa Pacific's field, it crept over the alleged 310-foot right field fence.
Meanwhile, Orlick, who spun a pair of seven-inning, complete-game shutouts of the Lancers this year, went nine innings, scattering eight hits and giving up three runs (one earned) while striking out three. If it weren't for the defense behind him that committed five errors, including two in the ninth, he would have picked up his third complete-game win over the Lancers.
Sharif Othman made it 1-0 with an RBI single to right center in the second, the Lancers' first run off Orlick in 15.2 innings. At the time, it appeared as if that might be enough for Goins, who was motoring through the Eagle lineup. Through the first four innings, Goins had given up two measly singles and struck out seven.
Then in the fifth, Michael Gonzales hit a one-out single up the middle. Bayne followed with just his second home run of the season to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead, the start of a big day for Bayne. At that point, Orlick appeared to have all he needed as he put up six straight scoreless innings after Othman's second-inning single. The Lancers did load the bases with one out in the fifth, but Orlick induced an inning-ending double play ball from Zach Aguirre.
Matt Ross gave the Eagles a huge insurance run with an infield RBI single in the eighth to make it 3-1.
In the ninth and down to their last three outs of the season, the Lancers came alive. Levi Garrett and Othman reached on back-to-back errors as Ross at third and Davidson at second both misplayed grounders, putting the tying run on base. Joey Boyle laid down a sacrifice bunt, putting the tying run in scoring position. Brandon Peters, who was 5-for-7 with three doubles in the tournament, was then intentionally walked to load the bases.
Orlick induced Dominic Zuniga into a come backer, but Orlick opted to just get Zuniga at first instead of attempt what appeared to be a tailor-made home-to-first double play that would have ended the game. Garrett scored to make it 3-2, courtesy-runner Andrew Brasington moved to third, Peters moved up to second and the Lancers still had life. Goins then stepped up and hit a 1-2 pitch sharply to left for a single that easily scored Brasington. Peters, the potential winning run, was waved around third, but Bayne hit Ross, who threw a strike to catcher Brian Hendrickson to get Peters at the plate, forcing extra innings.
The Lancers did put the tying run on second on the Eagles' fifth error of the day and a two-out walk to Garrett. Bayne, though, got Othman to ground out to second to end the game.
Peters was 2-for-3 with a walk. Goins was 2-for-4. J.P. Lapointe was 2-for-5. The Lancers finished with eight hits. Concordia had 10 and also had five stolen bases.
