KEIZER, Ore. – The Corban University baseball team came close to taking down No. 17 Lewis-Clark State College in game two on Saturday, but the game resulted in a 4-3 loss as LCSC went on to win both games. Corban dropped the first game in seven innings by a score of 17-4.
"It was another heartbreaking loss in game two," said head coach Jeff McKay. "The Warriors had good effort but was not meant to be."
No. 17 Lewis-Clark State's offense was firing on all cylinders, as it went on to rack up 17 runs on 14 hits in game one, including four homeruns from three different players. JJ Robinson opened up the scoring with a homerun in the second, and another one in the third, while Seaver Whalen hit a two-run bomb over the left field fence in the third. Raymond Pedrina added the fourth in the sixth inning with a three-run homer to help extend the lead to 17-2. Additionally, Micah Brown went 3-of-4 at the plate, registering a team-high three hits and three RBI.
On the mound, Kevin Hamann pitched six innings, scattering 11 hits while striking out three batters. In relief, Christian Jarnagin went on to pitch one inning, as he struck out two to help the No. 17 Warriors close the game.
For Corban, junior Cody Schmidt provided a homerun in the fifth inning with a two-run shot over the left-field wall, scoring freshman Josh Ebert to help open the scoring for the Navy and Gold. Senior Kyle Kilian registered a team-high two hits on the game, including a homerun over the left-field fence in the sixth inning to bring the score to 17-3.
In game two, Corban came out motivated to earn a win in this series. Despite a homerun in the second inning by JJ Robinson, Corban answered right back with three runs of their own, going up 3-1 as they were able to capitalize on a couple of LCSC miscues. However, the No. 17 Warriors responded in the fourth, as Brock Ephan homered over the left-field wall, bringing in two runs to tie the score at 3-3. With a Corban miscue defensively, Ephan scored again in the sixth inning to put Lewis-Clark State up 4-3. Unable to produce anything offensively over the final three innings, Corban was unable to come from behind, resulting in the one-run loss.
For Lewis-Clark State, JJ Robinson led the way offensively, going 2-of-4 at the plate while scoring two runs. Ephan added two runs of his own, while recording one hit. On the mound, Matt Fish pitched a complete game, scattering five hits and no runs earned.
For Corban, four players recorded one hit apiece, with Ebert, Bragg, and sophomore Daniel Freiburger bringing in three runs offensively. Junior Kris Jackson pitched six innings on the mound, giving up five hits while striking out three batters. Sophomore Zach Penrod came on in relief, closing the game by pitching three innings with no hits and four strikeouts.
"We are looking forward to Senior Day tomorrow," added McKay. "I expect a great effort to send our seniors out the way they deserve to be. Thanks for all the great fan support this weekend. It is so appreciated."
Corban (13-31, 7-24 NAIA-West) will play its final regular-season game tomorrow against No. 17 LCSC, closing out the series on Senior Day. First pitch is scheduled at 12 p.m. at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer, Ore.
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