BOX SCORES – GAME #1 | GAME #2

FOREST GROVE, Ore. – Senior Craig Spicer (Vancouver, Wash.) went a combined 5-for-8 with three runs scored to back up his selection as Cascade Collegiate Conference Player of the Week Tuesday, but it was not enough as Corban's baseball team dropped a pair of game to NCAA Division III member Pacific (Ore.), 11-9 & 5-4, under the lights at Chuck Bafaro Stadium.

In the opener, Corban quickly scored four runs in the first inning off six hits. Junior Josh Warner (Independence, Ore.) led off the game with a single through the left side before advancing to second on a ground out. Spicer then moved Warner up 90 feet with a single through the left side before senior Russ Johnston (Independence, Ore.) brought both runners home with a single to center field that put the visitors up by two runs (2-0). The very next batter – sophomore Taylor Stiles (Santa Maria, Calif.) – took the Boxers' starting pitcher deep over the right field wall with his first home run in over a month to put Corban up by four runs (4-0).

Pacific battled back in the bottom half of the inning with a pair of runs on two hits, as the highlight came off the bat of Mike Nagamine thanks to a run-scoring single up the middle that made the score 4-2 in favor of Corban.

Neither team scored again until the bottom of the third inning when Pacific tacked a single run on the board when Nagamine registered his second RBI of the game with a single to center field that scored Jeramey Probert and made the lead a single run (4-3).

The visiting Warriors pushed their lead back to two runs in the top of the fourth when junior Matt Schmidt (Corvallis, Ore.) reached base via a lead off hit by pitch before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt. Schmidt would come home on a fielding error by the Boxer short stop to make the score 5-3 in Corban's favor.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the scoring really began with Pacific notching four runs on two hits. The Boxers' final two runs came on bases loaded walks, as the frame ended with Pacific holding a two-run lead (7-5).

Corban would re-take the lead in the top of the sixth, as the Warriors put four runs on the board thanks to four hits. Warner walked to lead off the inning before stealing second and advancing to third on back-to-back infield singles by Spicer and Johnston. Stiles would then reach on a fielder's choice that got Warner at home before sophomore Kyle Taylor (Clackamas, Ore.) drove in two runs with a single to right field that tied the score at 7-7. The very next batter – sophomore Trevor Winsor (Troutdale, Ore.) – put the visiting Warriors up two runs with a deep double down the left field line that allowed both Taylor and Stiles to score Corban's final runs of the game.

The visiting Warriors attempted to hold the lead only to have Pacific collect a pair of hits in the bottom of the sixth that produced four more Boxer runs. The dagger came off the bat of Joey Pulito thanks to a two-run double to center field that scored the eventual game-winning run in the form of Kevin Schwartz before Keith Suits came across the plate as the insurance run that put the host team up by the score of 11-9.

In the top of the seventh inning, Schmidt led off the inning with a walk before back-to-back ground outs ended the two-and-a-half hour affair with the win going to the host team by the final of 11-9.

In Game #2, Pacific took advantage of three hit by pitches, two hits, one wild pitch, and a pair of lucky bounces in the bottom of the second inning to generate five runs that would give the host Boxers an early 5-0 lead.

Corban attempted a comeback starting in the top of the third when Spicer singled home Warner, who had reached thanks to a one-out single, to make the score 5-1 in favor of the host Boxers.

In the top of the fourth inning, Corban scored another single run when Taylor led off with a single down the right field line before coming around to score on a Boxer throwing error in an attempt to turn a double play that pull the visiting Warriors within three runs (5-2).

With three outs remaining in the game, Corban used a last ditch effort to extend the game thanks to two runs on two hits that included a run-scoring single by Stiles that plated Warner and made the score 5-3. Following a Spicer double and Stiles' single, Taylor flew out to center field allowing Spicer to score the Warriors' fourth run. Unfortunately, the game ended on a line out to third base that handed Pacific the one-run victory (5-4) and the two-game sweep.

Along with Spicer's performance, a trio of Warriors – Taylor, Johnston, and Stiles – collected three hits each to go along with a pair of three-RBI performances by Taylor and Stiles.

On the mound in the opener, freshman Mike McKay (Almira, Wash.) pitched the opening 4.2 innings allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits before turning the ball over to sophomore Chris Trammell (Salem, Ore.) for the final 1.1 innings.

In the finale, sophomore Kyle Lamson (Medford, Ore.) went the opening 5.0 innings allowing five runs (three earned) on two hits before turning the ball over to freshman Quinn Macnab (The Dalles, Ore.) for the final three Boxer outs.

Pacific was led by Probert and Nagamine's pair of two-hit performances, while a four different Boxer pitchers took the hill in each game with Probert picking up the Game #1 win in relief and Andrew Curtin improving his record to 3-2 following the conclusion of Game #2.

With today's result, Corban falls to 10-28 versus Pacific's win-loss record of 13-13. The Warriors will return to the diamond on Friday, April 18th, when they battle the NAIA's No. 7-ranked Thunderbirds of British Columbia in an afternoon double header beginning at 12:00 p.m. on Warrior Field.