LEWISTON, Idaho – A 10-game winning streak came to an end for the Corban University baseball team on Saturday as the Warriors faced off against No. 4-ranked Lewis-Clark State College on the road. After dropping game one, 7-0, Corban stumbled in game two, 4-1.
"We hit a lot of balls hard today right at the defense," said Corban head coach Jeff McKay. "They capitalized well on our mistakes. The games were closer than the score looks. They are conference champions – congratulations to them."
Corban threated in the first inning of game one, looking to start the series off the right way offensively, and after getting runners on first and second base with two outs, junior third baseman Vince Gonzalez (Kennewick, Wash.) stepped up to the plate and ripped a single to center field. Unfortunately for the Navy and Gold, Corban's base runner trying to score from second base on the play was thrown out at the plate, keeping Corban off the scoreboard.
LCSC capitalized in the bottom half of the frame and scored a pair of runs to nab the early advantage, and then added another in the second inning to make it a 3-0 ballgame. The score remained that way until the eighth inning when LC State tacked on four insurance runs, finishing off Corban in the opener.
Eight different players tallied hits for the Warriors in the defeat, while sophomore pitcher Rilyn Lewchuk (Oregon City, Ore.) picked up the loss in the start for Corban, hurling six innings while allowing three runs on six hits.
In game two, No. 4 LCSC jumped in front thanks to a home run in the first frame, putting the home side up 2-0. LC State then took advantage of a Corban error in the third inning, making it 3-0.
Corban showed some fight in the fourth inning when senior Braden Wolgamott (Bellevue, Wash.) ripped a double to left center with a runner on base, putting two runners in scoring position for freshman right fielder Jalen Garcia (Billings, Mont.). Garcia then hit into an RBI fielder's choice to score one run and cut the deficit to just two runs. That would be all Corban would get in the inning, however, and LCSC tacked on a fourth run in the fifth inning to make it a 4-1 advantage.
That is how the game finished up, as both team's pitchers and defenses locked down defensively, allowing no more runs with each team tallying only four hits apiece for the game.
Sophomore righty Caleb Henry (Salem, Ore.) picked up the loss for the Warriors, throwing five innings while allowing only three hits and four runs, three of which were earned. Junior pitcher Daniel Aranda (Lebanon, Ore.) gave Corban three quality innings in relief, allowing just one hit and no runs.
Corban (24-23, 19-14 NAIA West) returns to action tomorrow against No. 4 LCSC (43-7, 29-5 NAIA West) at 11 a.m. for the final regular-season doubleheader of the 2016 campaign. The regular-season standings and seeding for the postseason conference tournament will be determined at that point.
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