HERMISTON, Ore. – The Corban University baseball team headed to a neutral site in Hermiston, Ore. for this weekend's series against the Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon University. Day one started off in the Mounties' favor, as the Warriors dropped a close one, 3-2. Game two tilted more in the Navy and Gold's direction, as Nate Cantonwine's two-RBI performance led the Warriors to a 7-4 victory in the second game of the twin-bill. 

In game one, the pitching from both sides was outstanding until the bottom half of the sixth inning, when Corban starter Mason Shaw was replaced on the mound. A wild inning on the mound, where the first four batters of the frame reached on either a walk or a hit-by-pitch, making the score 1-0 without a pitch being put into play in the stanza. Following the free passes, Blake Loftus rolled an infield single to the shortstop that made it 2-0. The pitcher, Jackson Arnsdorf, would strike out the next two batters he faced, before allowing another RBI walk. Eastern Oregon exited the sixth with a 3-0 lead. 

Corban cut into the lead in the seventh inning on an RBI groundout by Justin Tow and a sacrifice fly to center by Zack Simon, but were unable to tie the game. After six-and-a-half, the Warriors trailed 3-2, and the score would remain that way until the very end.

The Mounties' starter Jacob Farnsworth pitched a strong 6.1 innings, while allowing just two hits and two runs. He struck out seven Corban hitters in the outing, and also walked five. With the victory, he pushed his record to 1-2 on the year.
Austin Brown earned a save for EOU, as he didn't allow a hit in the final 2.2 innings of the game. He struck out two Navy and Gold batters.

Corban's starting pitcher, Shaw, had a similar outing to that of his counterpart. The tall righty was on the mound for five innings of work and allowed just four hits and no runs. He set down six hitters on strikes in the game, while issuing three free passes and two hit-by-pitches. He was not the pitcher of record in the matchup, as he remains 0-2 on the year.

In game two of the day, Corban once again began in a hole, as they allowed the game's first run in the bottom of the second frame. Two walks and two singles led to the tally for Eastern Oregon. 

The lead did not last long, however, as the Warriors scored a run of their own in the top of the third inning. After Maxwell Jeffrey singled to right field and stole second base, Kyle Clay smacked a single down the right-field line to drive Jeffrey home. The score stood at 1-1 entering the bottom of the third.

The count on the scoreboard would remain the same until the bottom of the fifth, when Justin Frederick scored on a balk by Corban starting pitcher Nate Martin. After five, the Mounties led 2-1.

The Warriors bounced right back in the top of the sixth, as they tallied three runs on two hits and two bases on balls. After Cantonwine and Dakota Fingar walked, Morgan Hostetler sprayed a single into left field to move Cantonwine across the plate and bump Fingar to second base. A double steal by Fingar and Hostetler and a subsequent strikeout made it runners on second and third with one out, as Zack Simon cashed in on a sac fly to right field, followed by an RBI knock by Estenio Sede into right to extend the Warrior lead to 4-2. 

Eastern was not going away, as they quickly tied the score in the bottom of the sixth. An RBI walk and an RBI hit-by-pitch created a 4-4 ballgame with three full frames left to play.

The seventh and eighth stanzas were quiet, but the top of the ninth was Corban's time to shine, as they surged ahead for good. A single by Clay and an intentional walk to Reese Fawley allowed Cantonwine to step up to the plate with two on and no outs. He then smoked a two-run two-bagger to right field, and was then pinch run for by Travis Moore. He quickly swiped third base and scored on a wild pitch, making the score 7-4 in favor of the Warriors.

A nice and easy ninth inning for Braedyn Chong resulted in his first victory in a Navy and Gold uniform. In two innings of work, he allowed just two hits and no runs. 

The loss was given to Kyle Lund, who now sports an 0-2 record on the mound in 2021. He allowed three runs on three hits and two walks. He whiffed three Corban hitters in his three innings on the rubber.

The Corban offense was led by a strong day at the dish by Cantonwine, as he reached base seven times in ten plate appearances. He boasted two doubles on the day, and a 4-for-7 batting line. He also drove in three of the Warriors' nine runs on the day.

The Warriors (5-17, 3-6 CCC) will once again face the Mountaineers on Sunday in a doubleheader in Hermiston, Ore. The Navy and Gold will be looking to earn their second conference series win of the season by sweeping day two of the set.


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