WILSONVILLE, Ore. – The Corban University baseball team fought back to tie its 2017 NAIA West opener late in the game on Friday night, but a few wild pitches in the ninth inning led to Oregon Tech pushing in front by one run, downing the Warriors, 4-3. The loss snapped Corban's four-game winning streak over the Owls, dating back to last year.
On what was a frigid evening at Wilsonville High School, both team's pitchers were dealing early on, now allowing a run on either side through the first three frames.
Oregon Tech struck first in the fourth inning when Louis Wolf blasted a shot over the left-field fence to make it a 1-0 lead for the Owls.
On the mound for Oregon Tech, Brooks Hanson was in the zone, as he threw seven scoreless innings while surrendering just three hits and no runs while striking out two.
The Owls then added a couple of more runs on in the eighth inning on a pair of RBI hits, but the Warriors responded in the bottom half of the frame, with Ethan Bragg getting Corban on the board with an RBI double to right field to make it a 3-1 ballgame. Josh Ebert then singled up the middle to score Tyler Reitz, and Ryan Rosas capped off the inning with an RBI groundout to make it 3-3.
The Warriors thought they were about to go in front and make it 4-3 on a wild pitch with a runner trying to steal home, but the potential game-winning run was tagged out on the play at the plate by the catcher, sending the game to the ninth.
In the ninth inning, Wolf reached on a base knock, and he eventually made his way all the way around the bases on three wild pitches, scoring the go-ahead run with two outs.
Oregon Tech's Ronnie Red then closed the door on Corban in the ninth, sitting the Warriors down 1-2-3. In the win, Wolf tallied two hits and two runs scored, while Alex Poltz also recorded a pair of hits for the Owls.
For Corban, Rosas and Jackson Smith both notched base knocks for the Warriors, as did five others for seven total hits. On the mound, Rilyn Lewchuk gave Corban a solid overall outing, tossing seven innings while allowing just three hits and one earned run while striking out five.
Corban (6-8, 0-1 NAIA West) returns to the diamond tomorrow against Oregon Tech (4-5, 1-0 NAIA West) for an NAIA West doubleheader at the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes Stadium. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 12 p.m. Live Stats/Live Video
**Note – Every Corban student in attendance to Saturday's games will receive one free hot dog. Parking and admission will also be free for everyone in attendance on Saturday and Sunday.
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