BOX SCORES – GAME #1 | GAME #2
LEWISTON, Idaho – In their final two games of the weekend, Corban's baseball team fell to the NAIA's No. 7-ranked Lewis-Clark State, 13-7 & 9-3, Saturday afternoon at Harris Field.
In the opener, Corban scored a single run in each of the first two innings on a combined two hits. In the first inning, senior
Matt Schmidt (Corvallis, Ore.) drew a one-out walk and then advanced to third on a failed pick off by L-C State's pitcher. One batter later, sophomore
Taylor Stiles (Santa Maria, Calif.) registered an infield single that allowed Schmidt to score from third for the game's opening run.
After a 1-2-3 inning for the host Warriors, Corban came to the plate and got a lead off single to right field by sophomore
Tony Salamone (Medford, Ore.). One batter later, Salamone swiped second before advancing to third on a fielding error by LCSC's second baseman. Sophomore
Nate Hiebert (Lebanon, Ore.) then brought Salamone home via a sacrifice bunt back to the mound to give the visiting Warriors an early two-run lead (2-0).
In the bottom of the third inning, Lewis-Clark State tied the game at 2-2 thanks to a Vaughan Prow double to center field that scored Paul Martin and Todd Muecklisch.
The host Warriors took a one-run lead (3-2) the very next inning when Kawika Emsley-Pai reached base via a Corban error. Three batters later, Matt Allen singled to center field to bring Emsley-Pai home for L-C State's third run.
In the fifth inning, Lewis-Clark State erupted for four runs on three hits that included RBIs from Allen, Trent Bridges, and Kyle Melton. Prow scored the host Warriors fourth run via a Corban wild pitch.
One inning later, L-C State tacked on its eighth run via a Sean Halton home run to center field. Halton's fourth home run of the season turned out to be the eventual game-winning run and gave Lewis-Clark State a six-run advantage (8-2).
In the top of the seventh inning, Corban plated four runs on five hits. Senior
Craig Spicer (Vancouver, Wash.) registered a one-out single up the middle before Stiles walked. The two runners then advance ninety feet via a LCSC wild pitch before senior
Russ Johnston (Independence, Ore.) drove in Spicer with a single through the left side. The very next batter – Salamone – brought Stiles home with another single through the left side before L-C State went to the bullpen for relief. Both Salamone and Johnston advanced one base via a wild pitch before sophomore
Kyle Taylor (Clackamas, Ore.) registered an infield single that allowed Johnston to score from third for the Warriors' final run of the stanza to pull within two runs (8-6).
In its half of the seventh inning, Lewis-Clark State drove home another two runs on a single hit. Both Warrior runs came via Corban errors that pushed L-C State's lead to four runs (10-6).
Corban's final run came in the top of the eighth inning when Johnston doubled to left center that allowed Spicer to score, as Spicer reached via a fielder's choice.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Lewis-Clark State tallied the game's final three runs off three hits. The highlight of the inning came off the bat of Bridges, who drove in two runs with a single to left field that capped the game's scoring.
Offensively, Corban was led by Salamone's three-hit performance to go along with a pair of two-hit performances by Spicer and Johnston. Pitching-wise, senior
Derek Stokes (Anchorage, Alaska) threw the opening 4.1 innings allowing seven runs (six earned) on four hits to go along with a game-high tying three strikeouts. A pair of freshman relievers –
Mike McKay (Almira, Wash.) and
Quinn Macnab (The Dalles, Ore.) – threw the final 3.2 innings allowing a combined six runs (five earned) on six hits.
In the night cap, Corban plated the game's opening run via a single through the left side by Stiles following Schmidt's one-out double to left center.
Lewis-Clark State wasted no time in taking the lead, as the host Warriors scored three runs in their half of the first inning off two hits. Josh Ashenbrenner led off the frame with an infield single before scoring on a Corban throwing error that tied the game at 1-1. One batter later, Halton brought home Martin with a sacrifice fly to center field before Chris Lum brought home the host Warriors' second and third runs via a double to right center that handed L-C State a two-run advantage (3-1).
In the bottom of the second inning, Martin drove in the eventual game-winning run via a single to right center that scored Ashenbrenner who had reached base thanks to a single to right field before advancing to third on a Corban throwing error.
Neither team scored again until the top of the fifth inning when Corban scored a pair of runs off two hits. Sophomore
Trevor Winsor (Troutdale, Ore.) led off the frame by drawing a walk before advancing to second on Hiebert's sacrifice bunt. Junior
Josh Warner (Independence, Ore.) brought Winsor home with a double to left field before Spicer drove in Corban's final run of the afternoon with a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Warner and brought the Warriors within a single run (4-3).
Clinging to a slim one-run lead, Lewis-Clark State extended its lead thanks to another Halton home run. After Halton's fifth four-bagger of the season sailed over the center field wall to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning, L-C State grabbed a two-run lead (5-3).
Lewis-Clark State got another run in the sixth inning before Ashenbrenner capped the game's scoring with a three-run home run to right center in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Corban was led offensively by Schmidt and Stiles, who recorded two hits each. Meanwhile, four other Warriors – Warner, Spicer, Salamone, and Taylor – registered a hit each. On the mound, freshman
Tyler Doornink (Yakima, Wash.) pitched the opening 5.2 innings allowing six runs (two earned) on nine hits before turning the ball over to a duo of relievers – sophomores
Kyle Lamson (Medford, Ore.) and
Chris Trammell (Salem, Ore.) – for the final 2.1 innings.
With today's results, Corban falls to 2-9 overall. Meanwhile, Lewis-Clark State improves to 9-3 overall. The Warriors are back in action on Tuesday, March 3rd, against the Boxers of Pacific University of Oregon beginning at 6:00 p.m. in Forest Grove.
