LA GRANDE, Ore. – Anybody that visited Pioneer Park at any point today would have witnessed one of the single best offensive performances by the Corban University Baseball team in program history, as the Warriors exploded for 36 runs across 16 innings of play against the Eastern Oregon University Mountaineers, earning the doubleheader sweep via final scores of 21-3 and 15-10 and settling for a series split in La Grande.

"We put together two great games today!" began Corban head coach Ryan Harris on the team's first doubleheader sweep of his Warrior tenure. "Offensively, we stuck with our approach all day and had a lot of success! Avery put together an outstanding performance in game one and Aidan came out in game two with a quality start! Very proud of our guys and the way they bounced back from yesterday's tough losses. Not only did they bounce back, but they flat out attacked the day in all phases of the game!"

GAME 1 – Corban 21, EOU 3 (7 Innings)

Falling behind early on in games one and two of their four-game series with the Mounties (8-7) is what eventually cost the Warriors (4-13) a pair of road wins yesterday, which they were able to flip into their own favor to start off the scoring in game three this afternoon. In the top of the first frame, graduate student first baseman Nainoa Ka'ahanui singled to left field to score junior courtesy runner Fran Gross in the process.

Eastern Oregon tied the game up at one run apiece in their offensive half of the first via an RBI sacrifice fly, which would prove to be the last run EOU would see until the bottom of the fifth thanks to Warriors' true freshman starting pitcher Avery Williamson.

The Corban offense was officially unleased starting in the top of the second inning, as they broke the 1-1 tie with four runs via a bases-loaded walk and a three-RBI double off the bat of senior centerfielder Brad Pellkofer. The momentum carried into the top of the third with six more runs, as the Mountaineers' pitching staff was struggling to find the zone, with every run but the last coming around to score either on an out, a walk, or a combination of wild pitches and passed balls. Ka'ahanui singled home Pellkofer to cap off the explosive inning and take a double-digit lead at 11-1.

The hits and runs kept piling on for the Warriors in the top of the fourth, adding another six runs with the entire lineup finding their way on base on multiple occasions in less than four innings of play thus far. When the dust had finally settled and the Mounties had moved to their third pitcher of the game, the Navy and Gold had settled for a 17-1 lead as their starter continued to deal on the mound.

Another four runs in the top of the fifth provided the Warriors with an incredible 21-1 lead on the road, the most runs they've scored in a single game in over five seasons. The Mounties finally scrapped together a run in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out solo home run, breaking their scoreless streak and lowering the deficit to under 20 runs.

Needing a handful of runs to escape being run-ruled on their home field, the Mounties tacked on another in the bottom of the seventh but could score no more under the watchful eye of Williamson who finished with a complete game effort and allowed three runs on five hits and struck out a season-high seven batters despite walking seven as well. He moves to 2-2 on the year and is responsible for two of the team's three wins.

Five different Mounties took to the mound in an attempt to slow down the Corban offense, with their starter Shane Sinclair being charged with the loss after allowing ten runs in 2.2 innings pitched off eight hits, all of them earned. A quartet of Eastern Oregon relief pitchers allowed another 11 runs on ten hits to close out the contest.

Pellkofer has been an offensive staple for Corban baseball since the beginning of the season, as he tallied a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a season-high seven RBI and three runs scored despite being walked twice. Junior third baseman Ryan Clay was integral in the Warriors' mammoth performance with three hits, five RBI, and four runs scored with a pair of walks drawn as well. All but one starter secured at least one hit for the Navy and Gold in game one.

Eastern Oregon spread all five of their team hits in game three of the series out over five different hitters, with third baseman Trevor Baker tagging Williamson for a solo homer.

GAME 2 – Corban 15, EOU 10

Wilson and Clay kicked off game two exactly how they finished game one by launching back-to-back home runs off the Mountaineers' newest pitcher, needing only three pitches to tag EOU for two runs in just as many at-bats.

With runners on first and second in the top of the following frame, Wilson added another RBI to his resume with a single into leftfield to score senior shortstop Aidan Bunn, stretching to Warriors' lead to 3-0 and continuing their offensive showcase in La Grande.

Ka'ahanui jumped in on the homer action in the top of the third by launching a one-out solo shot to extend the Corban lead to 4-0 and secure his third long ball of the season. Two batters later, junior leftfielder Nathaniel Gutierrez secured the fourth Warrior home run of the contest with a two-run drive deep over the centerfield fence, the first of his young Corban career, to provide his team a 6-0 advantage.

Warriors' sophomore starting pitcher Aidan Bray was finally tagged for a run in the bottom of the third inning after allowing the first two batters to reach base safely but was able to buckle down and permit just a single run to keep his lead at five runs after 3.0 innings of play.

Bray's offense added three more runs to the scoreboard in the top of the fourth, as Pellkofer once again smashed an extra base hit to score a run, then came around to score with Clay on a two-RBI single by Ka'ahanui and extended the Corban lead to 9-1.

Another two runs came in to score for the Warriors in the sixth, with Ka'ahanui singling home Pellkofer to continue their dominant plate appearances in the third and fourth spots of the lineup, while Gutierrez launched his second home run of the weekend well over the right field fence. Wilson singled the following inning with two aboard, thus providing the program with a 13-1 score in the seventh frame.

It took over 15 innings, but the Mountaineer offense finally scored more than a single run in an inning today when redshirt junior relief pitcher Nathan Findley was tagged for a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh, extending this contest to a eighth frame with the run-rule now nullified.

A little bit of scoring by EOU didn't deter the Warriors from scoring even more runs this afternoon, with Bunn singling up the middle to score Gross and then coming all the way around to score on a pair of stole bases and advancing to home on a throwing error by the Mounties' catcher.

Despite a furious last second comeback bid by Eastern Oregon, Corban was able to hold on for their first doubleheader sweep of the year in an offensive showcase today for the entire lineup, as the Navy and Gold's 36 runs scored and six home runs sets a new milestone as they look to turn the corner this season and build momentum off the doubleheader sweep.

Warriors' sophomore starting pitcher Aidan Bray earned the first win of his Corban career after tossing 6.0 innings and allowing just a single run on six hits, while pitching even in walks and strikeouts with two apiece. Findley was charged with nine runs against his ERA before sophomore relief pitcher Gabriel Prater shut the Mounties down to conclude the ninth with the bases loaded.

Eastern Oregon's starting pitcher Zakaia Michaels accepted the early defeat after allowing nine runs on eights hits and three walks in only 3.1 innings of action, with the Mountaineer bullpen having to pitch a combined effort of six runs off six hits to keep the Warrior offense from adding any more runs to the scoreboard.

The four-man punch of Wilson (three hits, four RBI), Clay (one hit, two runs), Pellkofer (two hits, two runs), and Ka'ahanui (three hits, four RBI) were unstoppable today for the Warriors, with Gutierrez having a showstopper day at the plate as well with two hits, three RBI, and two runs scored. Bunn added another two hits to his season totals alongside a game-high three runs scored.

Mounties' centerfielder Rogelio Gonzales was one of the lone silver linings in the EOU lineup for game two, leading off the order with three hits and a run scored. Third baseman Joey Freitas added two hits and three RBI, while first baseman Timmy Whiles relieved Baker's rough outing with his the seventh-inning grand slam.

Corban baseball will take next weekend off before finally hosting their first series of the 2024 season on their new home field, as they'll welcome the reigning conference champion Oregon Tech Owls (7-9) to Volcanoes Stadium to experience the newly installed turf on March 8th and 9th, with 1pm and 4pm scheduled start times on Friday afternoon.

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