BOX SCORE
SALEM, Ore. – Senior
Craig Spicer (Vancouver, Wash.) and junior
Josh Warner (Independence, Ore.) each registered two hits on the day, as Corban's baseball team dropped the finale of a three-game series with the NAIA's No. 10-ranked Lewis-Clark State, 16-0, Friday morning at Warrior Field.
In the Warriors' first morning game since the middle of February, it was not too quickly before Corban was behind by four runs thanks to a four-spot in the first inning by Lewis-Clark State off three hits. The big blow came off the bat of Steven Prow, who hammered a two-run home run over the right field wall for the final runs of the opening frame.
Corban had a chance to get on the board in the bottom of the first inning, as Warner led off with a single to right field before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore
Nate Hiebert (Lebanon, Ore.). The very next batter – Spicer – singled through the right side, which allowed Warner to move up to third. Following a hit-by-pitch to senior
Russ Johnston (Independence, Ore.) that loaded the bases with one out, sophomore
Kyle Taylor (Clackamas, Ore.) hit into an inning-ending double play that halted Corban's lone scoring threat of the day.
Lewis-Clark State put another three runs on the board in the top of the fourth, as Josh Ashenbrenner belted a solo home run down the right field line for the inning's opening run. Two more runs came home on a Ben Ornelas double and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Prow, which put the visiting Warriors up 7-0.
In the fifth inning, Corban's freshman reliever
Quinn Macnab (The Dalles, Ore.) got Lewis-Clark State in order for the first all game only to have the visiting Warriors put four more runs on the board in the top of the sixth off three hits. The highlight came off the bat of Ornelas, who registered his first home run of the season via a high towering three-run blow to right field that put L-C State up by 11 runs (11-0).
Lewis-Clark State capped the game's scoring in the top of the seventh inning when the nationally-ranked Warriors scored five runs on five hits, including another run-scoring single by Ornelas for his game-high seventh RBI of the game.
After a one-hit seventh inning by Corban, third-year head coach
Nate Mayben and Lewis-Clark State head coach Ed Cheff huddled and decided to end the game after yesterday's double header included a pair of nine-inning affairs.
In the game, Spicer and Warner led the Warriors offensively with a pair of two-hit performance to go along with a pair of pinch-hit singles by sophomores
Taylor Wyatt (Dallas, Ore.) and
Taylor Stiles (Santa Maria, Calif.). On the mound, freshman
Tyler Doornink (Yakima, Wash.) went the opening 3.1 innings allowing seven earned runs on five hits before giving way to a trio of relievers. Macnab, who made his team-high 10th appearance of the season, freshman
Mike McKay (Almira, Wash.), and sophomore
Chris Trammell (Salem, Ore.) combined to pitch the final 3.2 innings of work for the Warriors.
Lewis-Clark State was led by Ornelas' 4-for-5 performance that fell a triple shy of the cycle, while Nick Masters opened the game on the hill for the Warriors going the first 4.0 innings of shut out ball. Stephen Foster, who picked up his first win of the season, and Colby Hawk closed out the game for L-C State going the final three innings combined.
With today's result, Corban falls to 9-18 overall versus Lewis-Clark State's 16-6 win-loss record. The Warriors are back in action on Wednesday, April 1st, when they travel north to Portland to take on NCAA Division III member Lewis & Clark College beginning at 4:30 p.m.
