HILLSBORO, Ore. – In the start of a series that could serve as a valuable measuring stick between two Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) foes, the Corban University baseball team squared off with Oregon Tech in a doubleheader on Saturday. The in-state rivals split the two contests, with the Warriors taking the opener by a 9-3 final score, and the Owls holding onto a 5-3 win in the latter matchup.

"It was good to get a win today," said head coach Derek Legg. "We did some things well. We look forward to another opportunity tomorrow to show we can compete for a full 18 innings."

Oregon Tech struck first in game one, plating a run in a wild top of the second. Mitchel Swanson got the inning started with a single off Warrior ace Zack Simon, beginning an unconventional trip around the basepaths.

The next batter, Alex Malcolm, popped a foul ball that appeared destined for the Corban dugout along the third-base line, only to have Warrior third-baseman Maxwell Jeffrey reach full extension over the dugout railing to make an incredible grab. Jeffrey then flipped over the railing and tumbled into the dugout, somehow managing to hold on for the out. Because he left the field of play, however, Swanson was able to advance to second.

A balk then moved him to third base, before Zeke Cruz brought him home with a single.

The Warriors answered with two runs in the bottom of the third, with the first one coming via an RBI double down the left-field line from Cole Foley, and the second crossing after Jeffrey delivered an RBI groundout to third.

A throwing error from Estenio Sede allowed for a pair of Owl runs to score in the top of the fifth, giving Oregon Tech the lead again. The Navy and Gold wasted no time getting those two runs back, however, as Sede ripped an run-scoring single up the middle in the bottom half of the frame, and Reese Fawley followed that up with an RBI sac fly to right immediately afterwards.

With Simon pitching well (6 IP, 1 ER, 4 K) in pursuit of his first win of the season, Corban passed the ball off to Jackson Arnsdorf in the seventh, claiming a one-run advantage at the time.

The Warriors provided valuable insurance after the stretch, exploding for five runs to effectively put the game out of reach. Kyle Clay and Fawley each collected RBI knocks in the pivotal stanza.

Arnsdorf was sharp in two scoreless innings, preserving the advantage and eventually passing the ball to Trevor Szczepanek to seal the triumph.

The Warrior double-play duo—Sede (2-for-5, R, RBI) and Fawley (2-for-4, R, 2 RBI)—spearheaded the offensive efforts, turning in multi-hit efforts in the game-one triumph.

In game two, Corban's Nate Martin and Oregon Tech's Patrick Arman dominated on the hill in the early going.

The two hurlers breezed through four scoreless innings, with the game's first scoring not coming until the top of the fifth. It was once again the Owls that drew first blood, taking advantage of Warrior miscues to hang a four spot in what would prove to be the difference-maker in the game.

Only one of those runs was earned, as Corban committed three errors, while also surrendering a hit-by-pitch and allowing an OIT runner to reach on a dropped-third strike.

That was plenty of padding for Arman, who ended with an impressive stat line (7.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 K) en route to the victory.

The Warriors mounted a comeback attempt in the eighth, rattling off three-straight doubles into the left-field corner to start the stanza. The trio of two-baggers scored a pair of runs, and another would eventually cross courtesy of an Owl passed ball, bringing the Navy and Gold within one heading into the final frame.

Oregon Tech (3-5) would manage to endure, however, grabbing an insurance run in the top of the ninth and stranding Corban's tying run at first in the bottom of the frame.

Kaleb Keelean (2-for-5) and Dalton Daily (2-for-4) set the table at the top of the lineup in the victory, accounting for all but one of OIT's hits.

The Warriors outhit their foe 9-to-5 in the defeat, with Clay leading the charge with his 3-for-4 game at the plate.

Corban (1-9) and OIT will return to Ron Tonkin Field tomorrow, finishing their four-game series with another doubleheader in Hillsboro. First pitch is slated for 11 a.m.