KEIZER, Ore. – The Corban University baseball team and the Oregon Tech Owls traded wins on Saturday, both of which came down to the wire in thrilling fashion. The Owls outlasted the Navy and Gold in an extra-inning battle in game one (5-4), then the Warriors battled from behind to earn a 5-4 win of their own in the series finale.

With the split of the day-two doubleheader, Corban claims a 3-1 series victory over Oregon Tech, making up two games on the Owls in the conference standings.

As was the story yesterday, Oregon Tech attacked early offensively, plating three runs against Warrior ace Zack Simon in the first inning of game one. Dalton Daily then collected an RBI single on a seeing-eye single through the middle of the infield, extending the visitor lead to four in the second.

Corban chipped into the deficit in the bottom of the third, when Ryan Clay blasted a high fly into the wind stream in right-center, rattling one off the fence to drive in his brother, Kyle Clay.

The following inning, Cale Thomspon singled through the middle to pull the Navy and Gold within two.

Kyle Clay continued his torrid weekend at the dish with a clutch, two-out, two-run triple to right-center to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth, coming off OIT's top reliever. That was Clay's third two-run triple of the series.

That would be the last scoring on either side until extra innings, as Oregon Tech's Dylan Grogan and Corban's Drew Scherrer dueled with valiant efforts out of the pen.

The visitors ended up taking the lead courtesy of small ball in the top of the 10^th, as Michael Tarakhchyan dropped a well-placed safety squeeze down the first-base line to plate the winning run in extras. Grogan ended up earning the victory, tossing five innings in relief without allowing a run, all while surrendering just one hit and striking out seven.

For the first time all series, the Warriors drew first blood in the finale. The Navy and Gold plated a pair in the second, and it all started with an infield single from Estenio Sede, who hustled out a grounder to the shortstop to lead off the inning. Thompson then brought home Sede with an RBI single up the middle. Thompson went first-to-third on a single from the next batter, Brian Landon, and then Nainoa Ka'ahanui plated him on a run-scoring sac fly to center to stretch the margin to two.

That two-run lead would last all the way until the bottom of the seventh, when the visitors clawed back for three runs to take the lead.

With their backs against the wall in the bottom of the eighth, the Warriors clawed back to tie it when pinch-runner Aidan Bunn got a tremendous read from third base on a ball in the dirt, scurrying home on a wild pitch to even the score at three.

Brad Pellkofer then got his biggest hit of the season, lofting a clutch go-ahead, two-run single into center to put Corban ahead 5-3.

The visitors attempted to mount a rally in the ninth, plating a run and putting the tying run 90 feet away with two outs, but Jacob Bowser came in out of the bullpen to seal the series win and earn the save.

Though he ended up without a decision, Nate Martin pitched exceptionally for the Warriors in the contest, tossing six innings without allowing a run, while also racking up seven strikeouts.

It's a crucial series win for the Navy and Gold, as each and every game remaining on the schedule carries heavy postseason implications with it.

Corban will close out its home schedule next weekend, hosting University of British Columbia for a four-game series that has huge playoff consequences for both teams.

The two teams will play a single game under the lights at Volcanoes Stadium on Friday night at 6:30 p.m., before competing in a doubleheader (1 p.m./4 p.m.) on Saturday, and then another single contest on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Prior to the 11 a.m. game on Sunday, the Navy and Gold will recognize its seniors.