LONGVIEW, Wash. – Linn-Benton pitcher Gabe Brabec raised both hands above his head, half in anticipation, half in celebration, as Tacoma’s Logan Shepard rocketed a ball into the evening sky in Game 15 of the NWAC Championship Tournament. As cheers exploded from the crowd, the ball dropped into the mitt of centerfielder Jordan Hockett as the Linn-Benton dugout sprinted onto David Story Field in a rush of cheers, fireworks, and flying ballcaps. The Beaks had just secured the 2024 NWAC title with a score of 7-4, the program’s second championship in three years.
“That’s probably the best feeling in the world,” said Brabec.
Linn-Benton entered the final day of the NWAC Championship needing two wins to secure the title. Their opponent, Tacoma, needed just one as the only remaining undefeated team in the double-elimination tournament.
The Beaks got on the board first in Memorial Day’s initial game, with a bunt single from Connor Boyd scoring Kellen Segel from second after Tacoma had issues fielding the ball. The game would remain tied at 1-0 until the sixth inning, when an Ethan Buckley single scored Kace Naone to increase LB’s advantage to two.
It was a tight defensive game, with both starting pitchers playing at a championship level. Through the first six innings, Linn-Benton’s Ethan Kleinschmit didn’t allow a single base runner despite Tacoma’s fearsome batting lineup, showing up in the clutch in a must-win game. It would be Kleinschmit’s last game in the blue and gold, as the star pitcher will be transferring to Oregon State University for next season.
“It was awesome,” said Kleinschmit after the game. “The defense was making the plays behind me, [Ethan Buckley] was behind the plate making it easy for me. It was a lot of fun… Kind of awesome to go out on a high note. Sophomores going out too. I mean – can’t really do it any better.”
After Kleinschmit secured his eighth strikeout of the day at the bottom of the seventh inning, the Titans finally started to make offensive progress. A pitch hit Aden Dance, advancing him to first, while Jeramiah Crain recorded Tacoma’s first base hit of the day with a single that energized the Titan dugout.
Linn-Benton pulled Kleinschmit, with the starter earning a standing ovation from the LB crowd. The moment didn’t last long, however, as Shepard turned relief pitcher Russell Holly’s second pitch into a three-run home run that gave the Titans their first lead of the day, 3-2.
Holly didn’t allow a hit in what was a quiet eighth inning for both offenses. Linn-Benton entered the ninth down one run with two options: score, or go home.
The Beaks chose the former, with Tacoma once again having trouble fielding a bunt as Kellen Segel advanced from first to third base with no outs in the inning. He’d tie the game up a few minutes later as the Titans made another mistake with a wild pitch. LB looked to take the lead with pinch runner Sam Giansante threatening from third, but a double play from Tacoma ruined the Beaks’ chances at winning in nine innings.
Holly allowed no hits once again in the bottom of the ninth as the game advanced into extra innings. As leadoff batter Aidan Dougherty stepped onto home plate at the start of the tenth, the entire stadium was dead quiet with anticipation. Dougherty and Jordan Hockett would both record singles and later advance to second and third as Spencer Sullivan grounded out to first base. A Kace Naone sacrifice fly gave Linn-Benton their lead back, scoring Dougherty. Tacoma got out of the inning without any more scores, down one entering the bottom of the tenth.
Linn-Benton made another pitcher switch, replacing Holly with rising freshman closer Easton Corey. It would prove to be a good choice, as two strikeouts and a fly ball later, Linn-Benton would earn the 4-3 win. With both teams even in the tournament, Game 15 would be required to decide the 2024 NWAC Champion.
Around an hour and half after Game 14 concluded, the championship began.
Tacoma struck early in the bottom of the first inning, recording two runs off LB’s starting pitcher, utility player Kellen Segel. A solo home run from the Beaks’ Jake Dodge in the top of the second would bring the score to 1-2.
Segel settled in for the second inning, allowing just one hit and no runs, including securing a crucial third out with the bases loaded.
Both teams recorded no runs or hits in the third and fourth innings. Dougherty gave the Beaks the lead with two RBIs off a single in the top of the fifth, scoring Evan Chadwick and Connor Boyd. Tacoma’s Drew Johnson responded with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game up again at 3-3 after Linn-Benton switched pitchers from Segel to Seth Dreeszen.
Everything came together in the sixth inning for Linn-Benton, with the Beaks scoring three runs in a pivotal stretch. Smart small ball resulted in runs for Spencer Sullivan, Kace Naone, and Jake Dodge. The Beaks now owned the momentum as well as the lead, up 6-3.
Linn-Benton made another pitcher change entering the bottom of the sixth inning, substituting Dreeszen for Logan Miller. A rough stretch followed, with Miller hitting two batters with pitches and walking another.
With the bases loaded and no outs, Linn-Benton once again turned to their bullpen, substituting in freshman Gabe Brabec on the mound. A sacrifice fly earned one run for Tacoma, but Brabec managed to strike out the remaining two batters, saving Linn-Benton’s lead.
The Beaks were unable to grow their lead in the seventh and eighth, but Brabec managed two straight no-hit innings. Entering the ninth, Linn-Benton was still up by two, 6-4, with the championship trophy within reach.
A sacrifice fly from Jordan Hockett scored Segel in the top of the ninth, earning Linn-Benton some insurance on the scoreboard as Brabec stepped onto the mound to close the game out. Brabec delivered, striking out the first two pitchers before a fly ball from the third was caught by center fielder Jordan Hockett, cementing Linn-Benton’s 7-4 victory. Brabec disappeared beneath the pile as the Roadrunner dugout stormed the field in celebration.
“The second that ball went in the air, I think I raised my hands. I was like, there’s no way, right?” said Brabec after the game. “I thought it was a bomb. But then [Jordan Hockett] was like 50 feet from the fence. I was like, there’s no way – and then we win and then I’m at the bottom of the pile. It’s a surreal moment for sure. I’m really happy it happened.”
Brabec played just four innings on Monday but recorded nine strikeouts. Like Kleinschmit, he too will be transferring to a Division I school after his freshman year at LB, heading north to Gonzaga University.
The win is a capstone for the Beaks’ 39-11 2024 season. It’s also the program’s second NWAC Championship in three years and fourth all-time.
“All the work they put in, and the grit and toughness this whole tournament was absolutely unbelievable,” said head coach Andy Peterson, who led the team to NWAC titles in 2024 and 2022. “So impressive, the close games, the comebacks. They were never out of it. Defeating a team like [Tacoma] two times in one day is pretty cool for the boys.”
“I’m just so happy for them,” he added.
Linn-Benton earned more hardware than just the NWAC Championship trophy, as seven Beaks were awarded all-tournament honors: Segel as a utility player, Sullivan and Hockett in the outfield, and Kleinschmit, Brabec, and Corey as pitchers. Dougherty won Tournament MVP, adding to a long list of recognitions he’s received during a productive final year with Linn-Benton. Next, he’ll be off to the University of Connecticut.
“It’s great and all – I’m just happy we won,” said Dougherty of his MVP award. He added how much the victory meant to the Beaks. “It was amazing. It was really cool to see how hard we worked all year long, and we’re just able to bring it all together and play good and make it happen.”
The game served as a sendoff for Linn-Benton’s impactful 2024 sophomore class of Naone, Holly, Chadwick, Sullivan, Hockett, Buckley, Dougherty, Vincent Iwamura, Camden Christenson, Cameron Ordway, Camden Stephens, Simon Mathios, Ever Lamm, and Broderick Stanaway.
“We worked so hard. Those are my brothers,” said Dougherty. “We’ve been through so much together. We hung out every day, got to practice early every day. And man, it means the world to us. It really does. We worked so hard and we earned that. We earned it.”
