Wilsonville, Ore. – It was a great day to be a Warrior baseball player, as Corban won both games of a doubleheader against NCAA Division II foe Central Washington University (CWU) on Saturday afternoon. On a day where the sun came out for a rare visit to the baseball field, the Warriors used stellar pitching performances and some clutch hitting to earn their first two victories on the young season.
Click on the 'play' button above for video highlights of today's action.
Game 1: Corban 6, CWU 3
In the first contest, Corban jumped ahead in the bottom of the third inning when senior outfielder Hayden Calvert (Canberra, Australia) laced a two-out RBI single to center field to score Vince Gonzalez, who had doubled earlier in the frame. The lead wouldn't hold up long, however, as a Warrior error in the fifth knotted the game at one.
Finding themselves trailing 2-1 going into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Warriors' bats finally came to life. Following back-to-back one-out singles by Gonzalez and Ryan Rosas (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), Calvert came through again, lining a single to tie the game at two apiece. A walk and a strikeout later, the bases were juiced for senior outfielder Landon Frost (Bend, Ore.), who smashed a towering grand slam to straightaway right field to give the Warriors a four run advantage and send them to their first win of the season.
Frost talked about his performance after the game:
Sophomore Caleb Henry (Salem, Ore.) got the start on the mound for Corban and threw well, allowing only one run (unearned) on four hits through six innings while striking out five. Dallas Broge (Huntington Beach, Calif.) came on in the seventh, allowing one run while picking up the win for the Warriors.
Corban was led offensively by Frost with four RBI, while Gonzalez, Calvert, and Scott Weidlich (Portland, Ore.) all had two hits in the game.
Ryan Atkinson tallied three hits and two RBI for the Wildcats.
Game 2: Corban 3, CWU 0
In the nightcap, another excellent pitching performance was the difference, as Corban starting pitcher Connor Mattison (Salem, Ore.) threw seven dominant innings, shutting out the Wildcats and allowing only one hit. Junior Daniel Aranda (Lebanon, Ore.) came on in relief for Mattison, throwing two perfect innings to earn his first save of the year.
After a quick top of the first inning, the Warriors jumped on starting pitcher Mitch Yada early. Rosas hit a double to lead off the inning and scored when the Wildcat third baseman made an errant throw while fielding Calvert's sacrifice bunt. After two quick outs, Benjamin Liogon (Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico) laced a double just inside the third-base bag to bring in another run. Freshman outfielder Jalen Garcia (Billings, Mont.) followed with an RBI single, and that closed out the scoring for the duration of the contest. The three runs were enough, as CWU was unable to get anything going against the Warrior arms.
Mattison picked up the win for the Warriors, while Yada suffered the loss. Following the victory, Mattison talked about his performance in the video below:
Garcia led Corban with two hits and an RBI, while Kyle Kilian (Prosser, Wash.) also notched a pair of hits.
Bryton Redal had the lone hit for the Wildcats.
"Impressive starts from Caleb Henry and Connor Mattison was the highlight of the day, along with the big blast by Landon Frost," said head coach Jeff McKay. "It was good to see this young team respond well after circumstances surrounding the opening first weekend. They showed their character today by playing together with energy and passion. This will help them understand how to beat good teams like Central Washington."
The Warriors (2-4) return tomorrow morning to take on Central Washington in another doubleheader. The first pitch for game one is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Wilsonville High School.
