LCSC 1 win away from World Series following takedown of Hope International

Goodson took a no-hitter into the fifth inning with Hope International's David Allen removing the coveted zero from that column of the scoreboard.

The right-hander from Stanwood, Wash., used 98 pitches to go the distance, permitting no runs off two hits while striking out five and walking three.

With a three-pitch mix, Goodson got ahead in the count on most every batter he faced, and enjoyed some SportsCenter-worthy plays from the fielders behind him.

In the bottom of the third, Goodson induced a liner directly to second baseman Izzy Madariaga, who fired the ball to first baseman Sam Weber, who applied the tag on the Royal runner for the double play to end the inning.

After Goodson conceded his first hit in the fifth, CCC Gold Glover Bryce Johnson dove, going all out for the out.

"I think it's great, " Goodson said. "My boys diving, doing anything they can, putting their bodies on the line, and they're doing tremendous at the plate and in the field."

Another big day for Reed

After a pair of closely contested conference tournament games, the Warriors' most recent two games against fellow top 25 teams have been blowouts in favor of LC State. The Warriors blasted to a 12-2 Cascade Conference Tournament final victory over No. 24 British Columbia on May 3 and kept the train chugging with the 10-run shutout of No. 21 HIU on Tuesday.

At the center of the Warriors' offensive success as of late is one Jackson Reed, the senior designated hitter whose former Division I team, Seattle U, beat Washington State 12-11 about 34 miles up the road Tuesday.

Now thriving with LCSC, Reed followed up his three-hit night against Keiser from Monday with another three hits, three RBI and two runs against Hope International — finishing a home run shy of the cycle.

Reed worked a four-pitch walk in the top of the second to come around and score the Warriors' first run, scorched an RBI triple to right field in the fourth to extend the lead to 3-0 and found open grass for a two-run double in the fifth inning.

His single in the seventh moved Johnson to third, where he scored from on Weintraub's RBI groundout, which put the Warriors in 10-run rule-inducing territory — effectively saving the bullpen for today.

An opportunity awaits

What the Warriors have worked the whole year to achieve is possible today.

However, Robbins said that if he allowed the weight of getting back to the World Series to "creep in, I wouldn't last very long here."

"It's about these 28 kids and the other 15 that didn't get to dress down and going through this experience and being together as a group and writing their own legacy," Robbins said. "This is a legacy program, and guys got to come in and do the right thing all the time, on and off the field. So I'm just happy for them. They get to be in a spot to do something.

"The game's going to be the game. That's not going to change for us. We know that, so we've got to go out and play hard and represent LC State the right way tomorrow."

Lewis-Clark State 020 340 1—10 7 1

Hope International 000 000 0—0 2 1

Goodson and Westerlund; Thrift, Young (4), Bagby (5), Tilton (5) and Nolasco.

Lewis-Clark State hits — Reed 3 (3B, 2B), Johnson 2 (2B), Weber, Westerlund.

Hope International — Essang, Allen.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2260, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.