LCSC ROLLS TO FIFTH STRAIGHT TITLE MISA PUTS TITANS ON THEIR KNEES WITH 7-0 VICTORY

The NAIA World Series may be leaving Lewiston, but the championship isn't.

Joe Misa made sure of that Friday night. The senior right-hander blanked Oral Roberts University 7-0, giving the Lewis-Clark State College Warriors their fifth consecutive NAIA baseball championship and their seventh in the past eight years.

It was the first title-game shutout since Eastern Michigan threw blanks at Northeast Louisiana 1-0 in 1970.

A standing room only crowd estimated at 5,400 packed Harris Field for the final World Series game at Lewiston on the current contract between LCSC and the NAIA. The Series will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, next year.

When there were no available seats left, people stood. And when Oral Roberts' Cory Crosnoe bounced into a double play to end the game, nearly everyone in the place stood.

It was LCSC's 35th straight home win and completed a perfect 32-0 home season. The Warriors finished the year at 48-7, while ORU finished 60-15.

''It would've taken a great college baseball team to beat Joe Misa tonight,'' Warrior coach Ed Cheff said during the post-game celebration. ''This is the best performance we've ever had and we've had some great ones.''

Misa, a 6-foot-2, 195-pounder from San Jose, Calif., won his second tournament game and finished the season 11-2. He gave up five hits, struck out eight and walked three.

''I loved the game,'' Misa said with a smile. ''It's always what I wanted. It's always been my dream to play on the championship team and play in the final game.

He not only played in the final game, he owned it.

The Warrior offense, although collecting 10 hits, was not at its best. Only three of the seven runs were earned. ''It was one of the worst offensive games we've played all year,'' Cheff said. ''Maybe we were just thinking Joe was going to do it.''

He did it. He yielded a double in the first, two singles in the fifth and two more singles in the seventh. He got out of trouble in the seventh the same way he ended the game, by inducing a batter to hit into a double play. In all, the Warriors turned four in the game.

''Our men in the middle, Brandy Bengoechea and Sid Maldonado, with that combination you can't go wrong,'' said Misa, who was named to the all-tournament team.

Said Cheff: ''We've always had good middle guys and Brandy and Sid rank up there with anyone we've ever had. That's a fine middle infield for college baseball.''

Oral Roberts starter Greg Jackson didn't pitch badly, but he didn't receive any help behind him. In the second inning with LCSC runners on first and second and one out, Todd Anderson bounced one back to Jackson, who fired to second base. But Titan shortstop Paul Meade dropped the ball and the bases were loaded. Marvin Benard walked to force in the game's first run and Mark Dow grounded to short to score the second run.

Maldonado then bounced one to second baseman Tommy Rinfret, who booted it allowing run No. 3 to score. After John Herrera walked, tournament most valuable player Greg Umfleet singled to right, scoring two runs to make it 5-0. That brought in relief pitcher Jeff Eddings, who got out of the inning.

''I wish we could go back into the second inning and make that play at second base,'' Barker said of Meade's error. ''That led to five runs. That's what I saw Lewis-Clark do the whole tournament. If you make a mistake, they eat you up.''

Misa and Eddings then engaged in a pretty good duel until the Warriors added a run in the sixth on a RBI single to right by Herrera. In the seventh, Benard singled to center scoring Anderson with the final run of the game.

Only one ORU baserunner advanced as far as third base and that was on the same play a double play occurred. Misa struck out the next batter.

Barker said ORU couldn't play its game because of the hole it fell in early.

''We would've liked to have had the opportunities in a close game to move runners up,'' Barker said. ''But we were crippled because we were so far down. It really changed the complexion of the game.''

He was quick, however, to credit Misa and the Warriors.

''He pitched a great ballgame and a great ballclub beat us,'' Barker said. ''We played a great club, probably the best in the nation, but we feel like we belong with them on this field.''

Cheff, too, was full of praise for Misa.

''We had the right guy; there's no doubt about that,'' he said. ''Joe Misa has been our money guy since the day he walked in. A lot of guys think they want the ball in big games, but he truly does. What you see on him, his game face, that's for real.''