ATHERTON, Calif. – Friday felt like a breath of fresh air for the Corban University baseball team, which finally found the key knock it needed as it registered the squad's first win (6-3) of the 2020 season.

A Kairos Torres-Umi go-ahead homer propelled the Warriors to a 6-3 win in game one. The Oaks would bounce back to edge the Navy and Gold by a final tally of 5-4 in the back half of the doubleheader, leading to the day-one split.

"I was pleased with today," said head coach Derek Legg. "The effort, energy, and mentality were much more in line with the Warrior way. It's good to get the monkey off the back as well. I'm excited to take this group out there tomorrow."

The Warriors utilized the long ball in their series-opening triumph. After Menlo struck for two in the opening frame, Estenio Sede erased the deficit with one swing of the bat in the third. The two-run shot was his second of the 2020 season.

Nate Cantonwine then gave the Navy and Gold the lead in the sixth, driving in Trevor Hazlett with a base hit to right.

The lead would be short-lived, however, as Sergio Noriega's opposite-field solo homer knotted the game at three just an inning later.

It would prove to be yet another game decided in the final innings, with the Warriors searching for a clutch knock to help them kick the trend of opposing walk-offs from the past two weekends.

Torres-Umi would provide that knock in grand fashion, hooking a go-ahead, three-run blast to left to break the tie and give Corban a 6-3 advantage in the eighth.

Jacob Asa took it from there, closing it down with two scoreless innings to seal his first save of the season, as well as Corban's first victory.

The deep-fly trend continued in game two, as senior Justin Tow hit the first homer of his Warrior career—a three-run shot in the first.

Menlo got one of those back in the bottom half of the frame, but it wasn't until a costly four-run fourth that the hometown squad took its first lead of the contest.

Errors were costly in the half inning, as only one of the runs that crossed was earned.

Looking to rally, a well-placed infield single from Cantonwine brought home Jared Bell in the sixth, pulling the Navy and Gold within one heading into the seventh and final frame.

The rally would fall short, however, as starting second-baseman Travis Danielson would assume a closing role for the Oaks, converting the save with a clean inning of work.

Showcasing grit and resiliency, Legg and company have plenty to be encouraged about heading into the second half of the series tomorrow.

Corban (1-9) will take the field at 11 a.m. for two more games against the Oaks tomorrow.