LEWISTON, Idaho (May 29, 2009) – There was no dominant pitching performance or one individual batter that stole the show in Friday night's Avista NAIA World Series Championship game. Just a bunch of solid contributors coming together as a team. Four pitchers took the mound and nine different batters received hits for No.1 Lubbock Christian University, as they defeated No.3 Point Loma Nazarene University 11-8 to become the first top-seeded team in NAIA World Series history (they began seeding teams in 2003) to claim a NAIA Baseball National Title.  The Chaparrals, who claim the second baseball title in program history and the first since 1983, also became the fifth team in NAIA history to win the title after defeating the same team twice over the final two games.
 
It is ironic that the Chaps became the fifth team to win title by defeating the same team twice consecutively in the 53-year history of the event, because that is how LCU completed their 1983 title winning season.
 
After a pair of lower scoring pitching battles in the prior two games between the two teams, Friday night's game in front of 4,005 fans at Harris Field featured nothing but offense.  Teams combined for 19 runs on 30 hits, with 24 combined runners stranded (13 by the Chaps).
 
LCU jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first, running Point Loma Nazarene starting pitcher Chris Honer out of the game with just one out in the first inning.  The big start was sparked by a bases loaded double from NAIA All-American Ross Blondin.  The Sea Lions responded off Chaps starting pitcher R.L. Eisenbach, who won a JUCO National Title a season ago with Grayson County College.  After scoring a run in the second inning, the Sea Lions tied the game with four runs in the third inning, receiving a two-run home run by Travis McCleary.  They had five consecutive hits in the four-run third inning, forcing the Chaps to bring Charlie Aceto out of the bullpen.
 
Will Stramp, who ended up claiming NAIA World Series Most Valuable Player honor, got the Chaps back in front in the bottom of the third inning with a three-run home run off Brandon Dixon, who had shut down the Chaps Tuesday night.  Stramp's home run was his third of the NAIA World Series and his team-leading 27th of the season.
 
McCleary produced a double in the top of the fourth to drive in a run and the Sea Lions cut the LCU lead to 8-7, but again the Chaps responded in the bottom half of the inning.  A double by Rob Learned and a sacrifice fly by Jaime Armendariz followed a lead-off triple from Dan Neumann to match the Sea Lions scoring in the inning.
 
Aceto got two quick outs in the fifth inning, but then walked three straight batters to load the bases.  Head coach Nathan Blackwood went with Shane Karnbach to replace Aceto, and the senior right-handed pitcher struck out McCleary on three straight pitches to get out of the jam.  Karnbach helped slow down the game's offensive tempo.  He surrendered one hit in 3.1 innings and did not allow an earned run.
 
The Sea Lions were held without a hit over the final 3.2 innings.  Jakob Cunningham sealed the victory in the ninth inning, as he came out for the save.  He struck out Kaohi Downing to close the game. His reward: the bottom of the dog pile, as the Chaps emptied the dugout in jubilation.
 
Neumann and Learned each had three hits in the game and Stramp and Blondin each produced a trio of runs-batted-in.  Charlie Aceto (7-0) received the win on the mound, while Dixon was charged with the loss (10-4).