Fourth-Inning Homer Haunts Corban Baseball in 4-3 Loss to Ottawa (Ariz.)

A three-run homer from the Spirit’s Rene Brockman was the biggest swing of the game, though some controversy surrounded the plays prior to it.

Story Update: After official review, Corban's protest in the fourth inning was deemed legitimate, resulting in this game being deemed a "No Contest."

SURPRISE, Ariz. – The Corban University baseball team dropped its second one-run heartbreaker of the weekend on Saturday, falling to Ottawa University (Ariz.) 4-3 in the finale of the squads' four-game series in Arizona. A three-run homer from the Spirit's Rene Brockman was the biggest swing of the game, though some controversy surrounded the plays prior to it.

That controversy, which involved a hit-by-pitch ruling made on the batter before Brockman in the fourth inning, resulted in the Warriors playing the remainder of the contest under protest.

The Warriors drew first blood in the contest, with Estenio Sede driving in Maxwell Jeffrey with an RBI single in the fourth.

Brockman's blast came in the back half of the inning, and the Spirit extended their lead to three on a double steal in the following stanza.

Corban got two of those back in the sixth, when Cale Thompson ripped an RBI double and Sede brought him home with a run-scoring triple a couple of batters later.

Corban actually out-hit the hometown team 12-to-8 in the loss, and even managed to put the tying run in scoring position with less than two outs in the ninth. Unfortunately for the Navy and Gold, the squad was unable to find the big hit it needed, dropping the game and the series to OUAZ.

Thompson continues his torrid offensive start to the season, going 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI for his fourth multi-hit game of the season already. He has opened the 2022 campaign on an eight-game hitting streak, hitting .464.

Jeffrey (2-for-4, 2 R) and Sede (2-for-4, 2 RBI) also turned in multi-hit performances for the Navy and Gold in the defeat.

On the hill, Preston Johnson was saddled with the loss (3 IP, 3 ER), while his counterpart Gage Johnson (5.1 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 8 K) earned the victory.

Corban (3-4-1) will return to the Pacific Northwest next weekend, facing off with a pair of Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) adversaries in non-conference games. The Warriors will get their first look at CCC newcomer Bushnell, while also going head-to-head with in-state rival Oregon Tech.

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