BOX SCORE

WILSONVILLE, Ore. – Despite a nine-run, 10-hit fourth inning for Corban's baseball team, the Warriors dropped the finale of the Cascade-Northwest Challenge against Pacific University of Oregon, 12-9, Sunday afternoon at Wilsonville High School.

On the day, junior Jonathan Ramirez (New Britain, Conn.) led Corban's bat-attack with a 3-for-4 showing that included one run scored to go along with four other Warriors – senior Trevor Winsor (Troutdale, Ore.), senior Steven Candelaria (Farmington, N.M.), senior Kyle Taylor (Clackamas, Ore.), and junior Colby Sokol (Puyallup, Wash.) – that collected two hits each. Winsor also drove in a team-high four RBI, while Sokol and Taylor crossed the plate two times each scoring runs.

After a scoreless opening three innings, Corban exploded in the bottom of the fourth scoring all nine of its runs on a combined 10 hits that included a trio of 2-for-2 performances by Sokol, Taylor, and Winsor in the Warriors' fourth at-bat of the game. Corban would open the fourth inning with three straight hits that included back-to-back doubles by Sokol and Taylor before Winsor launched a three-run home run over the left field fence for an earlier 3-0 Warrior lead. One batter later, senior Nate Hiebert (Lebanon, Ore.) roped a one-out triple into the right field corner before coming home on a RBI ground out by sophomore Kris Bos (Jerome, Idaho) that made the score 4-0 in favor of the designated home team. After a pair of singles by Ramirez and Candelaria, freshman Joshua Walker (Oregon City, Ore.) ripped a double to left field to bring home both runners before Sokol crushed his first home run as a Warrior to straight-away center field to increase Corban's lead to 8-0. After Pacific's second pitching change of the inning, Taylor doubled down the left field line before coming home on Winsor's second hit of the inning via a single through the left side for the final run for the Warriors making the score 9-0.

Over the next two innings, Pacific would whittle away at Corban's lead thanks to a pair of three spots on the scoreboard that made the score 9-6 after five-and-a-half innings of play.

In the top of the seventh inning, Pacific plated four runs that began with a Conor Clark one-out solo home run and ended with Logan Moen getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring home the eventual game-winning run and put the Boxers ahead 10-9.

Pacific would conclude the game's scoring in the top of the eighth when Therone Bridges laid down a perfectly placed safety squeeze with runners on second and third. Bridges' bunt would find a hole between the pitcher and first base that forced Corban's pitcher to dive in order to make the play, while allowing both Trux French and Grant Gabriel to score for the final tally of 12-9.

Pitching-wise for Corban, junior Nick Stiltner (Eugene, Ore.) went the opening 5.1 innings allowing five earned runs on five hits with a game-high four strikeouts before giving way to the Warriors' bullpen. Corban's quintet of relievers – senior Chris Trammell (Salem, Ore.), junior Mike McKay (Almira, Wash.), junior Quinn Macnab (The Dalles, Ore.), freshman Justin White (Pleasant Hill, Ore.), and Sokol – could not hold the lead, as the pen gave up seven earned runs on three hits with six walks and four hit batters.

Offensively, Pacific was led by Jared Van Hoon's 2-for-6 showing to go along with a pair of three RBI showings by Moen and Anson Arakaki. On the mound for the Boxers, Dustin Christensen went the opening 3.1 innings allowing four earned runs on five hits before Quin Moore came in for 0.1 innings of work. Pacific's second pitcher would allow four earned runs on four hits before Mike McGuire came in and shut down the Warriors' offensive attack allowing just one earned run on four hits en route to picking up the win. Rylan Tomita pitched the seventh and eighth inning for the Boxers, while Dan Wolfe hurled a perfect ninth in order to pick up the save.

With today's result, Corban extends its season-opening winless streak to seven games and Pacific evens its early season record at 3-3. These same two teams will meet again on Tuesday, February 22nd, in another nine-inning contest beginning at 6:00 p.m. at Chuck Bafaro Stadium in Forest Grove.