BOX SCORE

FOREST GROVE, Ore. – Junior Nate Hiebert (Lebanon, Ore.) returned to the lead off position for the first time this season and went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, but it was not enough as Corban's baseball team fell to NCAA Division III member Pacific University of Oregon, 14-9, Tuesday night at Chuck Bafaro Stadium.

With tonight's result, Corban closes out the opening portion of its non-conference schedule with a 6-6 overall record. Meanwhile, Pacific improves to 4-5 overall before embarking on its second weekend of Northwest Conference play beginning this Friday against Linfield.

Hiebert was aided offensively by three other Warriors – junior Trevor Winsor (Troutdale, Ore.), sophomore Jonathan Ramirez (New Britain, Conn.), and freshman Jake Balbas (Meridian, Idaho) – that recorded two hits each on the night. Junior Kyle Taylor (Clackamas, Ore.), freshman Kris Bos (Jerome, Idaho), and freshman Marc Labarthe (Salem, Ore.) all had hits against Pacific, while Ramirez and Labarthe drove in a team-high two runs each.

Junior Luke Balbas (Boise, Idaho) made the first start of his Warrior career allowing three earned runs on three hits in 2.0 innings of work. The third-year Warrior suffered the hard-fought loss, as Corban used four other pitchers – junior Kyle Lamson (Medford, Ore.), sophomore Quinn Macnab (The Dalles, Ore.), junior Chris Trammell (Salem, Ore.), and Hiebert – over the final five innings against the host Boxers.

After a perfect 1-2-3 opening inning by Pacific, the Boxers struck for seven unanswered runs over its first three at-bats before Corban got on the board in the top of the fourth inning.

In the fourth inning, Corban got a lead off single by Hiebert before Winsor doubled to center field placing runners on second and third. The very next batter – Ramirez – brought Hiebert home with the Warriors' first run on a grounder that ricocheted off the pitcher before the Boxers' shortstop threw across the diamond for the out. Sophomore Steven Blum (Salem, Ore.) then brought Winsor home with a sacrifice fly to right field that plated Corban's second run of the game.

The fifth inning began with back-to-back hits by Bos and Jake Balbas before both advanced ninety feet on a wild pitch. Labarthe would come to the plate and bring home Corban's third run of the game via a sacrifice fly to right field, while allowed Bos to score from third. Freshman Kyle Kunkel (Bremerton, Wash.) would drive home the Warriors' fourth run with a RBI ground out that scored Jake Balbas making the score 7-4 in favor of Pacific. Back-to-back doubles would bring Corban within a single run (7-6), as Winsor and Ramirez registered RBIs that capped a four-run fifth inning for the visiting Warriors.

After Pacific plated its eighth run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, Corban pulled back within a single run (8-7) thanks to Labarthe's RBI single down the right field line that scored Taylor from third.

Pacific would scored six unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh inning to grab a 14-7 lead before Corban plated its final two runs on a walk and ground out with the bases loaded in the ninth inning for the final score of 14-9 in favor of the host Boxers.

Leading the Boxers' bats was lead off hitter Jeff Bethke with a perfect 4-for-4 performance with three RBI and a run scored, while Michael Arakaki turned in a 2-for-3 showing with four runs batted in. On the hill, five Boxer pitchers combined to allow nine earned runs on 12 hits as Jeramey Probert picked up the win pitching the sixth and seventh inning.

Corban will return to the field on Friday, March 5th, in its NAIA West Group opener against the NAIA's 13-ranked Thunderbirds of British Columbia in an afternoon double header beginning at 12:00 p.m. in Salem.

NOTE: The baseball coaching staff and athletic administration will make a decision within the next few days as to where this weekend's games against UBC will be played. Warrior Field has been deemed unplayable due to the amount of rain that has fallen in the Willamette Valley over the first two months of the year that has made the outfield surface unsafe. Stay tuned to GoWarriorsGo.com for the announcement of this weekend's location.