LEWISTON, Idaho – Two different doubleheader results today sends the Corban University Baseball team back to Oregon with a pair of losses nonetheless, as No. 24-ranked Lewis-Clark State College shutout the Navy and Gold in game one 3-0, followed by a 17-6 blowout that took a full nine innings as each Warrior squad battled back-and-forth to conclude Corban's "home" weekend in Lewiston.
"We played some competitive baseball games today," Corban head coach Ryan Harris detailed earlier this evening. "I thought Avery and Johnny pitched really well in game one, we just couldn't scratch a run. In game two, I thought we had a lot of opportunities to score and produced some runs. Sam pitched well in his first start and gave us a chance to stay in things. All in all, we played better baseball this week. Now we need to be able to build off it into next week."
Game 1 – #24 LC State 3, Corban 0
The lowest scoring game between the two Warrior squads thus far featured three different one-run innings for the designated visiting team in Lewis-Clark State (14-7, 11-2), which they only needed one to secure the shutout victory over Corban (6-17, 2-11). Two of the three runs that LC State scored were due to Navy and Gold fielding errors, with both their sixth and seventh inning insurance runs crossing home unearned.
Despite allowing just one earned run in 5.2 innings against their nationally ranked opponents, sophomore starting pitcher Avery Williamson was charged with the losing decision after distributing five hits and two walks. True freshman reliever John Brabb held LC State to a single unearned run and two hits, walking four and striking out a pair. Redshirt sophomore relief pitcher Eddie Gould secured the last out for Corban in game one in just two pitches.
Lewis-Clark State starter Jantzen Lucas picked up a six-inning victory while shutting out the Navy and Gold, allowing three hits and two walks while punching out a pair of batters. Closer Robby Butenschoen tossed 3.0 innings to earn the save with three free passes from a walk and two hit-by-pitches yet struck out three Corban batters on a no-hit outing.
Salem Warriors' redshirt junior catcher Joshua Miyazawa went 2-for-4 from the No. 2-spot in the Corban lineup, while senior first baseman Drew DeMasi secured the only other base hit for the Navy and Gold in game three of their four-game series.
A pair of multi-hit performances from rightfielder Charlie Updegrave and third baseman Abe Affholter allowed the Lewiston Warriors to clinch the series win through three games played, each of them collecting a pair of hits while Affholter tallied two RBI.
Game 2 – #24 LC State 17, Corban 6
The final game of the four-game series was similar to the day one doubleheader games, as Corban jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first after junior second baseman Peyton Rickard flew out to right field, allowing junior shortstop Isaac Bateman to score from third base.
However, LC State scored four runs the very next inning and despite a pair of comeback bids in the fourth and seventh innings by the Navy and Gold where they loaded the bases in each frame and reached the six-run mark, the host Warriors kept piling on the offense and eventually clinched the series sweep 17-6 through nine innings.
Eleven different Warriors took to the mound in game two of today's doubleheader, six hailing from Salem beginning with senior righthander Sam Greenhalgh in his first start of the season. Greenhalgh took the loss after allowing five runs off seven hits and five walks in 4.1 innings worked, while the five Corban student-athletes to enter out of the bullpen all gave up multiple runs in various appearance lengths.
An early exit from LC State starting pitcher Joey Estrada resulted in a no-decision after allowing two runs off five hits, four walks, and a trio of strikeouts in 3.2 frames, while reliever Kolby Solomon earned the win after just a single hit and walk going against his season statistics in 1.1 innings.
Four different Navy and Gold batters secured two hits apiece in the nightcap of today's doubleheader, led at the top of the lineup by Bateman and his two hits, one RBI and one run scored. DeMasi, sophomore leftfielder Lucas Mertlich, and senior rightfielder Noah Owens were all the remaining beneficiaries of two-hit outings.
LC State second baseman Izzy Madariaga went 3-for-6 as the only hitter with three hits in game four, logging four RBI and two runs scored along the way.
Corban baseball is next scheduled to host NCAA DIII Willamette University (4-7) for a single midweek contest on Tuesday, March 18th at 4pm on the field at Volcanoes Stadium.
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