EUGENE, Ore. – Another pair of down-to-the-wire finishes for the Corban University Baseball team had the Warriors on the wrong end of a four-game series sweep at the hands of the Bushnell University Beacons, as their 10-7 and 8-6 losses today conclude their weekend in Eugene with three of the four games ending within three runs of each other.

"Some tough losses for our guys today," commented Warriors' head coach Ryan Harris earlier this evening. "Really thought we put together some really competitive games. We just had too many crucial moments in both games where we couldn't execute when it mattered most. When the weather conditions are a factor, the little things matter just a bit more and that was the difference in today's games."

Game 1 – Bushnell 10, Corban 7

The Warriors (9-30, 4-12) entered today's matchups with the Beacons (23-18, 10-6) holding a legitimate chance of making a push towards qualifying for the 2024 postseason, with the teams at the top of the conference standings all having to play each other over the last two weeks of the conference schedule. Forcing a split with Bushnell would have resulted in multiple scenarios in which Corban could have found their way into a postseason seeding.

They kicked off game three of the four-game slate like they do in most of their contests: scoring in the opening frame. Freshman designated hitter Lucas Mertlich continues to impress in his first collegiate baseball season of competition, as he singled to left field to score junior third baseman Ryan Clay and send senior centerfielder Brad Pellkofer to third base, where he scored the very next at-bat when redshirt sophomore Joshua Miyazawa knocked a sacrifice flyball juts far enough for Pellkofer to skirt home unscathed.

However, the Beacons' offense continued to be a pain in the Warriors' sides this weekend, as every time Corban would do enough to take a lead, Bushnell would find a way to steal the lead right back, forcing the Navy and Gold into a constant state of catchup on the road in Eugene.

Solo homers from Clay and Pellkofer were helpful in the Warriors' attempt to pull off a comeback bid in the Saturday opener as the Beacons added runs to their half of the scoreboard in six of the first seven innings and eventually put the game just out of reach with a pair of unearned runs in the seventh.

A 4.1 inning outing for Corban junior starting pitcher Hayden Van Acker was riddled with six runs off five hits and two walks, striking out four batters in the process. Sophomore reliever Aidan Bray was tagged for four runs on two hits and two walks, while redshirt junior relief pitcher Nathan Findley tossed 1.1 innings of no-hit baseball.

Beacons' starting pitcher Nate Rasmussen was awarded his first victory of the season after dealing 6.0 frames and allowing five runs on five hits, clinching four punchouts in the process. After reliever Garrett Vohs earned a single out, closer Colby Knutzen secured the save with 2.2 innings of four-hit, one-run, and three-strikeout baseball.

Clay finished 3-for-5 from the leadoff spot in the Corban lineup with an RBI and two runs scored, while Pellkofer scored three of his team's seven runs on his own. Miyazawa's two RBI would prove to be the game-high mark when the 17 run-game by both teams had settled.

All seven of Bushnell's seven team RBI came from seven different student-athletes, with third baseman Chase Nye representing the only multi-hit performance in game one of today's doubleheader for the hometown team. He scored two runs as well to match the mark made by designated hitter Jordan Wilson and leftfielder Caleb Ritcher.

Game 2 – Bushnell 8 Corban 6

Once again, Corban jumped out to a first-inning lead thanks to the superb play of Mertlich, who launched a two-run bomb over the right field fence that scored Clay along the way for a 2-0 scoreboard advantage. That lead would eventually dissipate in the bottom of the second after Bushnell scored four runs over the first two frames.

Clay combined forces with graduate student first baseman Nainoa Ka'ahanui in the top of the third to knot the ballgame back up, as Clay doubled down the rightfield line to score senior shortstop Aidan Bunn, while scoring himself on a failed double play attempt by the Beacons against Ka'ahanui.

Unfortunately for the Warrior Nation members in attendance this evening, The Beacons would go on to score four-straight runs over the next two innings to force Corban into an 8-4 deficit with just over half of the ballgame remaining. A pair of doubles by Ka'ahanui and Miyazawa in the top of the fifth would cut the Bushnell lead in half, but a combined bullpen effort over the final three frames sent the Warriors home winless after the rainy doubleheader affair.

Corban senior starter Bryce Bridge was subjected to the losing decision this evening after allowing seven runs off eight hits, despite not walking any batters and striking out a pair. Findley got his second appearance of the day in a 2.2 inning outing with only one run and four hits on his resume, while junior reliever Sam Greenhalgh kept the Beacons from advancing their lead any further through his 3.0 innings pitched with a team-best five strikeouts.

Bushnell's starting pitcher Kai Keamo turned in a no decision after exiting with six runs off six hits on his final stat line through 4.2 innings with seven punchouts, allowing reliever J Soriano to pitch his team to a victory as he scattered four hits across 1.1 innings. Closer Alec Gums picked up his second save of the weekend after dealing for 3.0 innings and allowing only two base runners to reach on a pair of walks alongside a quartet of strikeouts.

Clay continued to wield the hot bat in game two with a 3-for-4 performance, scoring half of the Warriors' runs while Ka'ahanui and Mertlich tied with two RBI apiece. Mertlich also had a multi-hit game to continue his own personal streak.

Nye was one of few Beacons that had a consistently great weekend in all four games, as he added another three hits and two runs scored in the nightcap contest, while catcher Kyle Casperson and second baseman Ethan Stacy each added three hits apiece to the mix. The trio was responsible for nine of the team's 13 hits in the series' finale.

The Warriors will return home for their final home series of the 2024 regular season, as they'll welcome The College of Idaho (11-30, 2-13) to Volcanoes Stadium starting Friday at 3pm.

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