CALDWELL, Idaho – A 17-game losing streak by the Corban University Baseball team was put to rest in game one of their four-game series on the road against The College of Idaho, as the Warriors earned a fantastic starting effort from their ace and the bullpen held on down the stretch to earn a 5-4 victory. In game two, the Yotes pounced in a six-run fifth inning after the Navy and Gold led 4-0, eventually clinching a 7-4 win to split the day one doubleheader.
"Great team win in game one, I'm really proud of Chris and Jackson on how they competed for us on the mound," detailed Corban head coach Ryan Harris earlier today. "We played great defense and had really clutch at bats led by Isaac. Game two we did some great things and had some two-out RBI that were awesome to see. We had one bad inning on defense and couldn't stop the bleeding and ultimately ended up beating ourselves. New opportunity starts at first pitch tomorrow."
Game 1 – Corban 5, C of I 4
It wasn't until the fifth inning before either team scored the first run of the four-game series opener, as it was the Warriors (7-23, 3-16) who struck first after sophomore designated hitter Lucas Mertlich grounded into a double play that allowed junior shortstop Isaac Bateman to score. An infield single by junior centerfielder Chase Elliott scored junior second baseman Peyton Rickard on the next at-bat, providing Corban with a 2-0 lead through five innings.
The Yotes (15-17, 5-14) earned a run back in the sixth to cut their deficit in half, yet the Navy and Gold piled on four runs in the seventh with a pair of RBI singles and forcing an unearned run across with a fielding error by C of I. Despite three runs in the bottom of the eighth for the host school, Corban junior closer Jackson Young entered and shut the door on the Yotes with just a walk and single allowed, the latter of which was then cut down on the basepaths when redshirt junior catcher Joshau Miyazawa hosed the runner trying to swipe third base.
Warriors' senior starting pitcher Chris Shaffer had every pitch in his arsenal working to earn his second win of the season, as he tossed 7.0 innings of one-run ball off four hits and three walks while striking out a game-high seven batters. Junior reliever Casey Henderson allowed three runs on five hits before giving way to Young who picked up the first save of his Corban career.
Yotes' game one starter Oliver Massie accepted his third loss of the season after allowing all five runs to the Navy and Gold in 7.0 frames, with eight hits, a pair of walks, and six strikeouts to his name. Relievers Jacob Lewis and Grant Jakobson both tossed a single inning of relief with no further damage allowed.
Bateman and Elliott had phenomenal plate appearances for the Warriors in game one, as they both finished 3-for-4 with Bateman scoring two runs and Elliott securing an RBI. Rickard was right behind the shortstop-centerfielder duo with two hits, two runs, and an RBI.
A majority of the offense for C of I in game one came from the top half of their lineup, with rightfielder Connor Olsen, designated hitter Darren Smith, and first baseman Brandon Faire all securing two hits apiece from the second, cleanup, and sixth spots of the Yotes' lineup, respectively.
Game 2 – C of I 7, Corban 4
Game two kicked off just as game one did with the Warriors striking first, as junior catcher Knox Hubbard doubled down the rightfield line to score senior first baseman Drew DeMasi and would later score on a wild pitch to give Corban a 2-0 lead in the second inning. The Navy and Gold tacked on another two runs on a two-run single down the rightfield line from Rickard, scoring Bateman and senior third baseman Ryan Clay in the process.
However, a six-run bottom of the fifth frame loomed for the Warriors as C of I forced fielding errors and scored three runs purely off bases loaded walks and hit by pitches and would eventually take the lead on a two-run single from centerfielder Cannon Morgan, representing their only base-hit RBI to this point of the ballgame.
After their four-run lead vanished in the fifth, the Corban offense was unable to plate any further runs and instead saw C of I score another in the eighth before dropping a 7-4 decision and allowing the Yotes to knot the series up at a game apiece.
Corban redshirt junior starting pitcher Josephan Gonzalez went 4.2 innings and just one bad frame separated the Selah, Washington native from an otherwise amazing outing, as he allowed six runs on two hits and six walks while striking out four Yotes. Graduate student reliever Tanner Boe went 2.1 innings with no runs allowed despite five walks and a hit on his resume, while freshman relief pitcher John Brabb tossed an inning with one run on two hits allowed.
C of I game two starter Nate Vidlak allowed double-digit hits to the Warriors but managed his baserunners well to limit the damage to four runs and picked up his second win of the year while striking out five Corban batters. Reliever Zaylor Bruegeman went 2.0 innings out of the bullpen while closer Kaden Lapp locked up his third save on the season with neither allowing a baserunner and both picking up a pair of strikeouts.
Clay and DeMasi both finished 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Corban offense in game two, while Rickard led all Warriors with two RBI on his single base hit. Bateman, Mertlich, Hubbard, Elliott, and senior rightfielder Fran Gross all earned base knocks as well as the Navy and Gold offense doubled up the Yotes in hits despite the three-run loss.
Not a single C of I batsman had more than one hit to conclude day one, with Smith and Morgan each picking up two RBI apiece on their own base hits. Shortstop James Hull scored two of the Yotes' four runs from the second slot of their lineup.
The Warriors and Yotes are back at it tomorrow afternoon to wrap up their conference series, with 11am and 2pm MT start times on tap in Caldwell.
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