Nic Loses At Regional, Faces Elimination Game

College of Southern Idaho roughed up North Idaho College ace Ryan Lupul. NIC couldn’t do the same to CSI pitcher Dan Clements.

NIC bowed 7-2 to fifth-seeded CSI in its opening game of the Region 18 baseball tournament Thursday in St. George, Utah.

Fourth-seeded NIC (30-20) faces a loser-out contest this morning against No. 6 Treasure Valley (26-27), which fell to No. 3 Salt Lake 11-3.

NIC managed just three hits against Clements, who came in with a losing record and a 4.35 ERA. Joe Bisant singled and eventually scored on a passed ball to even the score in the third.

CSI used three-run fourth and eighth innings to pull away. Chris Westburg had a two-run single in the fourth and an RBI triple in the eighth.

Lupul, who dropped to 7-2, was touched for nine hits and four walks in 7-1/3 innings.

In other games Thursday night, Salt Lake upended No. 2 Utah Valley 10-5 and No. 1 Dixie downed CSI 8-0.

Wrestling

Former North Idaho College standout Shaun Williams has accepted a scholarship to wrestle at the University of Oregon. The 1999 NJCAA champion will have two years of eligibility.

Williams chose Oregon over Boise State and Wyoming. He is expected to compete at 125 pounds.

Administration

Steve Gearhart has joined the University of Idaho as assistant athletic director for development in Boise.

Gearhart has worked at Drake University since 1987. He graduated from Northern Iowa in 1987 and earned his master’s degree in sports administration at Kent State.

Basketball

Jason Lewis, a standout guard at Southwestern Oregon Community College this past season and Jacksonville State University the year before that, has signed a scholarship with Eastern Washington University and new men’s basketball coach Ray Giacoletti.

The 6-foot-4 Lewis can play both guard positions, and this past season averaged 14.2 points and 8.3 assists. In the 1998-99 season he started 21 games at Jacksonville State in Alabama, averaging 5.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He is a 1998 graduate of Churchill High School in Eugene, Ore.

Lewis helped lead Southwestern Oregon to a 24-9 record overall and a third-place finish in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) Tournament. He was a second-team All-NWAACC selection, and a first-team All-Southern Region pick after leading his team to the region championship with a 13-1 record.

He set a school record for assists with 274, and led the NWAACC Tournament in assists with 35 in three games. He also made all of his free throws and averaged 19.3 points per game in the tourney.

At Jacksonville State, Lewis started 21 of 26 games and made 41 of 125 field goals (32.8 percent), 15 of 52 3-pointers (28.8 percent) and 46 of 62 free throws (74.2 percent).

This sidebar appeared with the story:

BASEBALL

Tribe signs coach

The Spokane Indians finalized their coaching staff Thursday with the addition of Jeff Davenport as hitting coach.

Davenport, 29, spent last season as the bullpen catcher for the Chicago Cubs. He played three years in the Boston Red Sox organization before joining the coaching staff of the Arizona Diamondbacks rookie league team in 1997.

Davenport will join first-year manager Tom Poquette and second-year pitching coach Randy Smith on the Indians staff.