BOX SCORES – GAME #1 | GAME #2

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Corban's baseball team continued five streaks against the NAIA's No. 11-ranked British Columbia, as the Warriors are winless in NAIA West play following a pair of losses, 2-1 & 6-2, Friday at Thunderbird Park to go along with four players that continued their multi-game hitting streaks.

Junior Steven Blum (Salem, Ore.) went a combined 3-for-7 with a pair of doubles and two runs batted in to extend his team-high hitting streak to 12 games, while senior Nate Hiebert (Lebanon, Ore.) pushed his consecutive games streak with at least one hit to seven thanks to a 2-for-8 showing. Seniors Trevor Winsor (Troutdale, Ore.) and Aarason Perry (Susanville, Calif.) also extend their respective hitting streaks, as both seniors collected a hit each to push their streak to three games.

GAME #1 – BRITISH COLUMBIA 2, CORBAN 1

After suffering through a three-plus hour rain delay, Corban and British Columbia stepped onto the diamond and displayed a pitching dual that featured the designated host Warriors putting the game-tying run on second base before UBC got out of the last-inning jam en route to picking up the win.

Over the opening five innings, neither team could muster much offense with each squad combining to collect six hits without getting a runner across home plate.

In the top of the sixth inning, British Columbia finally broke the scoreless tie when Keaton Briscoe lead off with a triple to right center before coming home on a Warrior error on Blake Carruthers' infield hit for an early 1-0 lead.

UBC would add what would turn out to be a much-needed insurance run in the top of the eighth inning when Briscoe led off with a double to right center, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Mike Elias, and came home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kevin Nickel for a 2-0 T-bird lead.

Corban would break through in the bottom of the ninth when sophomore Kris Bos (Jerome, Idaho) ripped a lead-off double down the left field line before moving to third on a ground out by junior Jonathan Ramirez (New Britain, Conn.). Sophomore Alex Bost (San Jose, Calif.) would then step into the batter's box in a pinch hitting role and brought home Bos with a run-scoring ground out to pull the Warriors within a single run (2-1). With two outs, junior Nick Stiltner (Eugene, Ore.) and Winsor registered back-to-back singles that put Winsor at first and sophomore pinch-runner Andy Hill (Eugene, Ore.) at second. Unfortunately for the Warriors, UBC's Shawn Hetherington would get the final out en route to preserving the one-run Thunderbird victory (2-1) in the opener.

Blum would lead Corban's offense with a two-hit performance, while junior Tyler Doornink (Yakima, Wash.) earned a no-decision after pitching the opening 4.0 innings allowing just two hits before turning the ball over to Stiltner for the final 5.0 innings of work. The first-year right-hander would suffer the heart-breaking loss, as he allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits to go along with a team-high tying three strikeouts.

British Columbia would get two hits each from Briscoe and Greg Densem, while Dan Britton-Foster collected the win allowing a mere five hits over 7.0 shut out inning with a game-high six K's before turning the ball over to Hetherington for the save.

GAME #2 – BRITISH COLUMBIA 6, CORBAN 2

In the finale, British Columbia scored six unanswered runs over the opening five innings en route to securing the four-run victory (6-2) and earning the afternoon rain delayed sweep.

After watching UBC plate three runs in the first, one run in the second, and two more in the fifth off a RBI triple by Briscoe, Corban came alive in the bottom of the sixth inning scoring two runs thanks to a two-run double by Blum. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late for the Warriors as they dropped their ninth straight NAIA West game to open the season.

Three different Warriors – Hiebert, Blum, and Perry – each collected hits, while junior Quinn Macnab (The Dalles, Ore.) went the opening 5.0 innings allowing six earned runs on four hits before turning the ball over to senior Chris Trammell (Salem, Ore.) for the final six outs.

British Columbia was led offensively by Briscoe's 2-for-4 showing, while Eric Brown went the distance allowing two unearned runs on three hits to go along with a game-high five strikeouts.

With today's result, Corban falls to 5-19 overall and 0-9 in NAIA West play. Meanwhile, British Columbia improves to 18-6 overall and 14-1 in league games. These same two teams will continue play tomorrow – Saturday, April 2nd – with a mid-afternoon double header beginning at noon at Thunderbird Park in Vancouver.