KEIZER, Ore. – It was the tale of two completely different ball games that resulted in a pair of victories for the visiting team this afternoon and into the evening at Volcanoes Stadium, as the Corban University Baseball team fell victim to a 21-3 drubbing by No. 7-ranked Lewis-Clark State College in the opener, followed by a nail-biting 5-3 final score in game two that came down to the final called strike for the road Warriors to edge the home Warriors in the first doubleheader of a four-game series.

"Game one, we compounded mistakes and LC took full advantage. They're seventh in the country for a reason, make mistakes against a team like that, and the game becomes out of hand quickly," began Corban head coach Ryan Harris.

"In game two, we came out and rose to the challenge and played great Corban baseball. We saw a phenomenal start from Aidan who gave us a chance to win the ball game. All in all, we were one swing away from winning this matchup. I'm proud of the effort and putting together a very competitive ball game.

Game 1 - #7 LCSC 21, CRB 3 (7 Innings)

All it took was the first two innings of LC State (12-6, 2-0) offense compounded with Corban (5-18, 0-2) mistakes that resulted in a 16-1 deficit for the hometown Warriors following the first two innings of play, with the nationally ranked Warriors eventually taking the contest 21-3 in a completely one-sided affair.

The Navy and Gold's senior starting pitcher Bryce Bridge was tagged for eleven runs in 1.0 innings of action, with five hits and five walks resulting under his command. Relief pitchers Giovanni Cervantes, Kyle Blohm, and Joe Licari combined for the last 6.0 innings before the eventual run-rule, with ten more runs, ten hits, and six walks being earned by LC State with the trio on the mound.

For LC State, starting pitcher Drake George picked up the win after allowing three runs on six hits, striking out five batters in the process. Reliever Tucker Grote allowed just three hits over 2.0 innings, with neither him nor George allowing a walk in all of game one.

Corban graduate student first baseman Nainoa Ka'ahanui continues to knock the cover off the baseball, blasting his fifth home run of the season over the right field fence in a 3-for-3 performance with two of his team's three RBI. Redshirt sophomore catcher Hayden Wilson was 3-for-4 from the leadoff spot with the other Navy and Gold RBI.

Lewis-Clark State's huge offensive performance in game one resulted in multi-hit outings for six of their hitters, led by first baseman Jake Gish and catcher Jack Sheward who each earned two hits with five RBI apiece and three runs scored. Gish blasted a solo homer and a grand slam all in the second inning, while Sheward belted a three-run homer to kick off the scoring in the sixth.

Game 2 - #7 LCSC 5, CRB 3

Game two between the mascot doppelgangers was a much more competitive contest all around, but it started eerily similar with LC State snagging four runs in the top of the third, with Gish adding two more RBI to his totals on the day and third baseman Dominic Signorelli teeing off for his ninth home run of the season to make it 4-0.

However, Corban battled back in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs on another Ka'ahanui base hit, a passed ball, and an RBI-groundout by junior leftfielder Nathaniel Gutierrez to cut the Lewis-Clark State lead to just a single run.

The visiting Warriors added a run back to their lead in the very next inning, as Gish drove a ball to deep right field that was caught and allowed rightfielder Charlie Updegrave to scamper to home plate.

The 5-3 lead would prove to hold for the remainder of the evening, but not before Corban brought the winning to the plate with two outs and two runners aboard to force LC State into an uncomfortable corner. Unfortunately for the Navy and Gold, Lewis-Clark State would earn the win after a called third strike on the outside corner to conclude the opening day of conference games.

Corban sophomore starting pitcher Aidan Bray tossed a complete game effort despite accepting the loss, allowing five runs off six hits with a pair of walks and cashing in on five strikeouts.

For LC State, starter Shane Spencer tossed 7.0 innings with a game-high 13 strikeouts, earning the win despite seeing three runs off four hits come in under his watch. Relief pitcher Jantzen Lucas nearly earned the save after tossing 1.2 innings, but the first hit allowed by him of the day say closer Cameron Smith enter to earn the save instead, earning the 27th out of Corban to end the game.

Ka'ahanui, Wilson, Gutierrez, junior third baseman Ryan Clay, and junior rightfielder Noah Owens all earned base hits in game two today, with Ka'ahanui and Gutierrez each snagging an RBI.

Gish saw another three RBI come under his at-bats to bring his statistic on the day to eight, with Updegrave and Signorelli representing the only visiting players to add another multi-hit appearance to their season totals.

The two Warrior programs are back in action at Volcanoes Stadium bright and early tomorrow morning, with first pitch of game three scheduled for 9am.

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