With his single in the bottom of the seventh inning, senior Darren Johnson joined the Warriors' 100-hit club for a career as the co-captain now has 101 base knocks in four seasons at Corban.
Corban Opens Final Weekend With Loss to Cavs of Concordia
SALEM, Ore. – Senior Darren Johnson (Vancouver, Wash.) recorded his 100th career hit thanks to a 2-for-4 performance, as Corban's baseball team dropped the opener of its three-game series with the Cavaliers of Concordia, 4-1, Friday at Warrior Field in the Warriors' final home series of the season.
After playing 16 straight games on the road, Corban returned to the lovely confines of Warrior Field for its final weekend of baseball action with hopes of picking up double digits in the win column for the 10th straight season.
Corban scored the game's opening run in the first inning, as senior Jamie McGraw (Gaston, Ore.) opened with a walk before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Nate Hiebert (Lebanon, Ore.). The very next batter -- junior Craig Spicer (Vancouver, Wash.) -- singled to short, which allowed McGraw to move up ninety feet. Senior Daniel Flores (San Jose, Calif.) then brought McGraw home with a single up the middle for his team-leading 38th RBI of the season.
Clinging to a slim one-run lead, Corban watched as Concordia put a single run on the board in the top of the third inning to tie the game. The Cavaliers' Sean Strachan led off with a double down the left field line and advanced to third on an interference call. One batter later, Roberto Reyes hit a high bouncer over the mound that was fielded by the Warriors' short stop as Strachan scored from third on the ground out to tie the game at 1-all.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Concordia put three runs on the board via a pair of hits. Strachan once again led off the inning with a single down the left field line before advancing ninety feet on a ground out. The next batter -- Reyes -- was hit by a pitch before both runners advanced an extra base via a stolen base. With runners on second and third, Ben Lanier registered his lone RBI of the afternoon via a ground out to third that allowed Strachan to score and Reyes to advance to third on the throw. Following a hit by pitch to Ryan Sussenguth and a stolen base that put runners at second and third, Casey McLeod singled through the left side allowing both Reyes and Sussenguth to score therefore capping the game's scoring.
Over the final four-and-a-half innings, both pitching staffs shut down the opposing offense as the two teams combined for six hits in seven frames.
Besides Johnson's offensive performance, three other Warriors -- Spicer, Flores, and senior Scott Flux (Salem, Ore.) -- recorded a hit each. On the mound, junior Jason Braun (Dallas, Ore.) went the distance allowing four runs (all earned) on six hits to go along with a pair of strikeouts.
For Concordia, Strachan went a perfect 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored to lead the Cavaliers' offense. Meanwhile, McLeod turned in a 1-for-3 performance with a pair of RBI while two other Cavaliers recorded a hit each.
Pitching-wise for Concordia, Jason Grisham went the opening 7.0 innings allowing one earned run on four hits with a game-high four K's before turning the ball over to a pair of relievers. Zac Manor pitched the eighth inning, while Brett Hawley closed out the game in the ninth en route to picking up his team-high fifth save of the season.
With the loss, Corban falls 9-30 overall, 6-16 in NAIA Region I play. Meanwhile, Concordia improves to 15-23 overall, 11-11 in NAIA Region I action. Both teams will return to the diamond on Sunday, May 4th, for a mid-afternoon doubleheader beginning at 2:00 p.m. at Warrior Field.
NOTE: In between the two games, Corban's baseball program will be honoring eight players that will be donning the navy and gold for the final time in the Capitol City.