BOX SCORE

McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Junior Trevor Winsor (Troutdale, Ore.) registered his first home run of the season and sophomore Steven Blum (Salem, Ore.) went 4-for-5 with two runs scored, as Corban's baseball team opened Day #2 of the Jim Doran Auto Classic with a 9-5 win over NCAA Division III member Whitman Saturday at Roy Helser Field on the campus of Linfield College.

With this morning's result, Corban improves to 5-4 overall and Whitman remains without a win at 0-9 this season.

Blum would lead the Warriors' bat-attack with his four-hit performance, while four other Corban players – Winsor, senior Josh Warner (Independence, Ore.), junior Steven Candelaria (Farmington, N.M.), and junior Taylor Wyatt (Dallas, Ore.) – recorded two hits each. Winsor, junior Kyle Taylor (Clackamas, Ore.), and freshman Craig Baker (Meridian, Idaho) each drove in two runs, while Warner, Candelaria, and Blum scored two runs each.

On the mound, freshman Jake Balbas (Meridian, Idaho) went the opening 5.0 innings for Corban allowing a pair of unearned runs on one hit to go along with a game-high four strikeouts. Freshman David Hull (Kelso, Wash.) and junior Nate Hiebert (Lebanon, Ore.) would combine to pitch the final four innings for the Warriors, as the duo allowed three runs (one earned) on seven hits.

Corban put four runs on the board in the opening inning, as Warner led off the game with a single to center field before advancing to second on a wild pitch. The very next batter – Winsor – would plate the game's opening runs via a home run over the left field fence that handed Corban an early 2-0 lead. After loading the bases on three singles, Baker brought home the Warriors' third run with a walk before Blum scored the final run on a Whitman error for a 4-0 Corban lead after one inning.

The Warriors would tack on two more runs in the top of the third inning when Blum registered a one-out double to left field before coming around to score on Taylor's single to left center. After a walk and a balk, Corban had runners on second and third with one out as Baker brought home his second RBI of the game via a ground out to second that made the score 6-0 in favor of the Warriors.

In the top of the fourth inning, Corban would bring home its final three runs when Candelaria singled down the left field line allowing Warner to score following his lead off single. The very next batter – Blum – would rope a double down the right field line that allowed sophomore Jonathan Ramirez (New Britain, Conn.) to score Corban's eighth run of the game. With one out and a runner on third, Wyatt capped the Warriors' scoring with a RBI on a fielder's choice that plated Candelaria and made the score 9-0 in Corban's favor.

Whitman would begin its scoring in the bottom of the fourth when the Missionaries plated two runs on a RBI ground out and a Warrior error that made the score 9-2.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Whitman would pull within six runs (9-3) thanks to a RBI single before bringing home its final two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on a pair of Corban errors for the final score of 9-5.

Whitman was led offensively by Brian Kitamura, who was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with one run scored. Meanwhile, six other Missionaries recorded a hit each to go along with a pair of Whitman pitchers that combined to allow nine runs (eight earned) on 16 hits.

Corban will remain on the diamond for its second game of the day against Puget Sound with the first pitch scheduled for noon at Roy Helser Field on the campus of Linfield College in McMinnville.