LEWISTON, Idaho - The Corban University baseball team is still looking to find its groove at the plate early on in the 2016 campaign, as the Warriors were only able to muster six hits on Sunday in a 6-2 loss to the (RV) University of British Columbia in the final game of the LCSC Guardian Plumbing, Heating and A/C Tournament.
In search of its first win of the young 2016 season, the Warriors began the game well with solid pitching early on from sophomore lefty Connor Mattison (Salem, Ore.). Mattison pitched well through the first four innings, shutting down the Thunderbirds while allowing no runs.
Corban got on the board first in the third frame thanks to an RBI single from senior left fielder Landon Frost (Bend, Ore.), scoring junior third baseman Vince Gonzalez (Kennewick, Wash.) on the play. Gonzalez reached base earlier in the inning on an infield single.
The Navy and Gold kept the good vibes going when junior first baseman Alex Storaci (Kennewick, Wash.) led the inning off with a double to right field. Freshman centerfielder Jalen Garcia (Billings, Mont.) eventually brought him home with an RBI single to left field, giving Corban a 2-0 advantage.
The Warriors (0-4) left two stranded in the top half of the fifth frame, and UBC capitalized on a Corban error in the bottom half of the inning, ultimately scoring four runs to take the lead for good. The Thunderbirds would add two more later on, sealing the triumph over the Warriors.
Mattison picked up the loss for Corban after going 4.1 innings and allowing four hits and three runs, only two of which were earned. For UBC (9-1), Connor Noble registered his third win of the season, hurling seven innings while dispersing six hits and allowing just the two runs.
"We saw first college hits from Jalen Garcia and Daniel Freiburger with a great first four-year college start on the mound by Connor Mattison," said Corban head coach Jeff McKay. "Those were the highlights of the game, but we let an early lead slip away by not executing defensively."
Frost led the way for Corban at the dish with two hits and one RBI, while Storaci, Garcia, Gonzalez, and freshman second baseman Daniel Freiburger (Rupert, Idaho) all recorded one hit.
"We are learning what you have to do to beat good teams, but the growing pains will be difficult right now," said McKay. "We honored the Lord in our conduct and character this weekend. We grew closer together as a team."
Corban takes a break from games for a week before returning home to take on NCAA Division II opponent, Central Washington University for a quartet of games on February 20th and 21st. First pitch on the 20th is set for 12 p.m. at Wilsonville High School.
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