
The Lewis-Clark State Warriors secured their spot in the Avista NAIA World Series with a dramatic walk-off win over Hope International Royals, 3-2, in the bottom of the 10th inning. Cade Westerlund's RBI single clinched the victory after a two-year absence from the series.
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May 14—Jackson Cloud admits he probably shouldn't have run onto the field as soon as he did.
Then again, each one of the 570 fans in attendance might have joined him if they could after senior catcher Cade Westerlund slapped an RBI single down the left-field line to score senior right fielder Bryce Johnson in the bottom of the 10th and send the Lewis-Clark State Warriors back to the Avista NAIA World Series after a long two-year hiatus.
Westerlund's walk-off pushed the Warriors in front of the visiting Hope International Royals 3-2 in the final of the NAIA Baseball Opening Round, presented by Avista, on Wednesday at Harris Field in Lewiston.
"I went around the trainer, started walking. I'm like, 'Eh, let's just run. It's Cade, he works hard,'" Cloud said. "So I ran out there and obviously celebrating with the guys is unreal, we're all brothers."
With two outs and the bases loaded in a 2-2 game in the bottom of the 10th, Westerlund said he was just looking for a good pitch to hit.
He found that on the very first pitch, he saw — Hope International starter Franky Lopez's 126th offering of the game.
The 6-foot, 205-pound catcher from Chandler, Ariz., watched the ball all the way through, saw it kick past the Royal third baseman and into the outfield and leapt up and down in disbelief as Johnson touched home plate with his hands in the air.
"Just excited for the kids. They just competed tonight, especially on the mound," LC State coach Jeremiah Robbins said. "Hope's guy (Lopez) was spot on too. He threw a hell of a game. But our guys just hung with it. They're good in the dugout. They never quit. Yeah, good things happen when you don't quit."
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The win cemented the Warriors as the ninth team to punch its ticket to next week's World Series, which begins Friday, May 22, back at Harris Field. LCSC joins Tennessee Wesleyan, Georgia Gwinnett, Southeast (Ind.), Mid-America Christian (Okla.), Johnson (Tenn.), William Carey (Miss.), Doane (Neb.) and Taylor (Ind.) in the field.
The Warriors' Cascade Conference foe, British Columbia, could join them back in Lewiston. UBC plays the reigning national runner-up Southeastern (Fla.) today in Lakeland, Fla., to determine the final spot.
A terrific 10th inning
The 10th inning started about as ugly as the Warriors could have feared, with reliever Joey Estrada — rock solid all year — permitting a leadoff double, misfiring on a pickoff attempt to second base that allowed the runner to advance to third and allowing a go-ahead RBI single.
However, Estrada escaped the inning and the Warriors had three outs with which to tie — or win — the game.
The message in the dugout was succinct and the conversations few.
"Not a lot really," Robbins said about what he told the team. "It was just about competing. We've been talking about it all game — just staying in the moment."
The Warriors won the game with a walk-off RBI single by Cade Westerlund in the bottom of the 10th inning, scoring Bryce Johnson.
The final score was 3-2 in favor of the Lewis-Clark State Warriors.
The Warriors last participated in the NAIA World Series two years ago, prior to this year's qualification.
The game took place at Harris Field in Lewiston.

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Jackson Jaha lead off the inning with a dive on an infield to beat out the throw to first, and from there, the Warriors small-balled their way to a game-tying Jackson Reed double that set up Westerlund's big moment.
One year later
What a difference a year makes.
This time last year, Westerlund, Johnson, Cloud and the Lewis-Clark State baseball team's season was over on their home field when the Warriors were on the wrong side of Wayland Baptist's 7-6 walk-off win to end the Warriors' season — one day after the World Series-bound Hope International Royals mercy ruled them 12-1.
This year, the top-seeded and No. 4-nationally ranked Warriors held the game in their own hands, finding themselves on the winning side of both a mercy rule involving Hope International with a 10-0 seven-inning victory on Tuesday and Wednesday's walk-off.
Westerlund spent three games behind the plate for Lewis-Clark State in 2025. One year later he started three Opening Round games.
Johnson recorded one at-bat last year; one year later, he's mashing in the cleanup hole for LCSC and scoring the winning run to send his team to the World Series.
After 3 1/3 quality innings from starting pitcher Landon Webb, who the Warriors had on a short pitch count because of a late-season injury issue, they handed the ball to Cloud, who delivered.
And Cloud, leaving his otherwise standout 2025 season with a bad taste in his mouth after pitching below his standards in what ended up being the last game of the year, returned to the mound with a vengeance this season and tossed 5 1/3 authoritative frames to keep the Warriors locked in a 1-1 game.
"To be able to get my get-back, especially on the team that beat us, what 12-1 last year, whatever it was, like, that's pretty sweet and to beat them twice," Cloud said. "And they're a good team ... been in the World Series a lot, so it's big for the team (and) morale, especially."
One week
Robbins, a long advocate for LCSC losing its automatic World Series bid in favor of the present system in which the Warriors must play their way in, has been there before where the World Series is concerned.
The LC State Hall of Famer has three national championships and top-three finishes in each of his six years as coach on his resume.
But this year provides a new experience. After the thrill of the conference tournament and Opening Round, Robbins has just one week to ready his team for the World Series.
Westerlund borrowed a phrase from the late Kobe Bryant.
"Job's not finished," Westerlund said. "Still got work to do."
HIU 000 100 000 1—2 6 1
LC State 100 000 000 2—3 10 1
W — Estrada; L — Lopez.
Lopez and Nolasco; Webb, Cloud (4), Estrada (10) and Westerlund.
Hope International hits — Lane 2 (2B), Nolasco (2B), Moran, Cotto, Allen.
Lewis-Clark State hits — Jaha 3 (2B), Reed 2 (2B), Madariaga, Johnson, Prescott, Westerlund.
Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2260, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.