Blowouts in Shreveport, and upsets in Columbus, GA.

At the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament in Columbus:

#4-ranked Lee went two-and-out. They were taken out by #19 Southern Polytechnic 7-4. The Hornets won it with four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on only one hit; the winning run was scored by courtesy runner Conrad Boron when pinch-hitter Blake Parrot drew a bases-loaded walk. The Hornets drew a total of eight walks and two hit batters. Brad Hutson got the win in relief; starter Josh Strawn put in a good effort for the Hornets, recorded eleven strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings, allowed three earned runs on eight hits.

#6 Auburn-Montgomery also went two-and-out, losing to #16 Brewton-Parker 8-7 (10 innings). 1B Jacob Evors hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to send it into extra innings, then hit a bases-loaded single in the tenth to win it. Evors finished the game 3-6 with five RBI. The Barons used six pitchers; Ben Gillespie got the win, faced two batters, threw nine pitches. Story from Auburn-Montgomery site: No. 6 AUM Falls in Extras to No. 16 Brewton-Parker, 8-7

#13 Faulkner is still in the tournament, but they're in the losers' bracket. The Eagles lost to host William Carey 7-6. RF Javier Ortiz scored the winning run in the seventh; he reached base on a walk, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a wild throw. Starter Scotty Reese got the win for the Crusaders; Ortiz finished the game 2-3 with a double and two runs scored.

The NAIA Coaches' Top 25 for April 26, with Boyd Nation's ISR rankings. Recap below the fold:

First place votes: Embry-Riddle 17, Oklahoma City 3, Lee 1

This article was originally published at the Canadian Baseball Network.

Gary Picone took over as head baseball coach at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Id. last September, replacing Hall of Fame coach Ed Cheff, who had been the head coach there for 34 years.

Picone (Trail, BC) moves into one of the most prestigious jobs in college ball. Lewis-Clark State has won 16 NAIA national championships, and they have sent 14 players to the majors, including Keith Foulke of the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Oakland A’s, and Marvin Benard of the San Francisco Giants.

Picone served a remarkably long apprenticeship for the job. He was the athletic director for four years prior to taking on the head coach job, and served another stint as AD previously. He was heavily involved in the planning and project approval process for L-C State’s activity center, a facility that many Division I schools would envy. Although L-C State is known primarily for baseball, they have had strong men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball programs for many years.

After participating in Trail’s local baseball programs as a teenager, he went to Bellevue Community College as an outfielder. He transferred to L-C State, and played there for three years. He was good enough to be invited by coach Wayne Norton (Port Moody, BC) to play for the Canadian entry in the Baseball World Cup in Nicaragua in 1973.

Lambuth University in Jackson, TN is closing its doors at the end of June. The school has been in financial trouble since 2008, and has operated without accreditation for the past year.

The baseball team is scheduled to play their final two games at home against Southern Arkansas, a good Division II team. This will be the last athletic event in the school's history. The Eagles are 12-29. Update on April 26: The games vs. Southern Arkansas were canceled.

Update on Sept. 14: The Lambuth campus was purchased by the University of Memphis. No word on whether there will be any sort of athletic program.

Story from Inside Higher Ed: End of the Road for Lambuth U.

The NAIA Coaches' Top 25 for April 19, with Boyd Nation's ISR rankings. Recap below the fold:

First place votes: Lee 16, Embry-Riddle 4, Oklahoma City 2

The NAIA Coaches' Top 25 for April 12, with Boyd Nation's ISR rankings. Recap below the fold:

First place votes: Lee 14, Embry-Riddle 2, Oklahoma City 7

The NAIA Coaches' Top 25 for April 5, with Boyd Nation's ISR rankings. Recap below the fold:

First place votes: Oklahoma City 21, Lee 1

The NAIA Coaches' Top 25 for March 29, with Boyd Nation's ISR rankings. Recap below the fold:

First place votes: Oklahoma City 17, Lee 2, Embry-Riddle 2

Oklahoma City (ISR #1) has won 23 straight. They defeated Division II Southwestern Oklahoma State 5-3 in mid-week, then swept U. Of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, 8-4, 3-2, and 4-2. The Stars came from behind in the first game, and had to shut down late rallies by USAO in the second and third games. Corey Theriot, Allen Townsend, and Rich Hawkins got the wins.

The Stars lead the NAIA in fielding, with a .980 average. They host Division II Southeastern Oklahoma State on Tuesday, Hastings on Wednesday, and Saint Gregory's on Thursday. They visit Saint Gregory's on March 26.

Fresno Pacific (#2) won three of four against Cal Baptist (#3), and two of the wins were shutouts. Jesse Darrah pitched the first one, allowed two hits, walked none, struck out 12. The Sunbirds won 3-0 on home runs by 1B Wes Dorrell and C Michael Vaughn. The second shutout was 6-0; Aaron Lynn also allowed only two hits, struck out nine, and had a no-hitter going into the seventh inning. DH Michael Rivera hit a three-RBI double. Rivera got a save in the fourth game of the series, a 4-2 win for the Sunbirds. The Lancers' win was 4-3 in the second game of the series. 1B John Manzano hit an RBI double in the bottom of the eighth to win it; Patrick Smith got the win in relief.

The Sunbirds are 17-9. Biola (#13) leads the Golden State Athletic Conference with an 11-4 record, and the Sunbirds and Lancers are tied for second place with an 11-5 record. The Sunbirds host Point Loma Nazarene on Wednesday, and visit Point Loma on March 26.

LHP Zach Hull, a sophomore at Lewis-Clark State, was killed in a vehicle accident in Lewiston, ID.

Hull, of nearby Moscow, ID, was having a great season. He was 3-0, and had pitched 17 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run.

Lewis-Clark State has called off this weekend's scheduled series with Central Washington. More details are available at Lewis-Clark State's site: LCSC baseball player dies in traffic accident