Senior Craig Spicer had a career day collecting five hits against the 'Yotes of The College of Idaho.
Corban Wins Run Fest Against 'Yotes of The College of Idaho
LEWISTON, Idaho – Senior Craig Spicer (Vancouver, Wash.) led a Warriors' offense that collected 24 hits going 5-for-7 with three runs scored, as Corban's baseball team opened its 2009 campaign with a victory over fellow NAIA West Grouping member The College of Idaho, 18-16, Friday afternoon at Harris Field in the opening game of Regence BlueShield of Idaho Tournament.
In the opening inning, Corban plated a pair of runs on three hits as sophomore Nate Hiebert (Lebanon, Ore.) led off the season with a walk before advancing ninety feet on sophomore Trevor Winsor’s sacrifice bunt. Following Spicer’s first hit of the afternoon, sophomore Taylor Stiles (Santa Maria, Calif.) brought in the Warriors’ first run of the season via a single to left field that plated Hiebert. One batter later, former West Salem graduate and freshman Steven Blum (Salem, Ore.) singled down the right field line to bring home Spicer and cap the Warriors’ scoring in the opening inning.
In the second inning, Corban added to its run total via a single run that came home on Winsor’s single to right field that plated sophomore Tony Salamone (Medford, Ore.) who reached via a hit by pitch earlier in the inning.
The College of Idaho put three runs on the board in the bottom of the second inning to tie the score at 3-all before Corban exploded for seven runs on seven hits in the top of the third.
After four batters, the bases were loaded for the Warriors as senior Russ Johnston (Independence, Ore.) singled up the middle allowing sophomore Kyle Taylor (Clackamas, Ore.) and Blum to score Corban’s opening runs on the inning. Salamone re-loaded the bases via a single through the left side before junior Josh Warner (Independence, Ore.) scored via a wild pitch and Hiebert roped a single though the left side that scored Salamone and Johnston. One batter later, Spicer registered his lone RBI of the day via a double down the left field line that scored Hiebert and brought home the Warriors’ sixth run of the inning. The very next batter – Stiles – doubled to left center allowing Spicer to score Corban’s final run and put the Warriors up 10-3 after two-and-a-half innings of play.
The designated host ‘Yotes scored two more runs in the bottom of the third inning to pull within five (10-5) before neither team got on the board in the fourth inning.
In the fifth and sixth innings, Corban scored single runs thanks to an RBI single by Winsor in the fifth and another RBI single to right field by Johnston in the sixth.
With a 12-6 lead after six full innings of play, Corban scored three runs in the top of the seventh via three hits to go up by nine runs (15-6). Spicer roped a one-out double off the third base bag before coming home on an RBI single to left field by Taylor for the Warriors’ opening run of the inning. The very next batter – Blum – registered an RBI ground out that scored Stiles before Warner double down the left field line to bring home Corban’s final run of the inning.
Holding to what seemed like an insurmountable lead (15-6) at the seventh-inning stretch, Corban watched as The College of Idaho plated six runs via five hits that was highlighted by Brad Carlsen’s two-run home run to right field that brought the ‘Yotes within three runs (15-12).
Corban scored another three runs in the top of the ninth inning, as junior Cameron Meier (Salem, Ore.) registered a two-run single up the middle before Winsor registered his third RBI of the day via a single through the left side that scored Johnston and capped the Warriors’ scoring for the day.
With the lead back up to six runs (18-12) heading into the game’s final at-bat, C of I put together a two-out rally that saw the ‘Yotes scored four runs on three hits. Alex O’Brien opened the scoring with a single through the left side before Cody Brubaker roped a bases-clearing three-run double to center field that brought The College of Idaho within two runs (18-16). With the tying run at the plate, Corban senior Jason Braun (Dallas, Ore.) got C of I’s Gavin Gamboa to line out to third to end the game and hand the Warriors’ a barn-burning and season-opening victory.
Along with Spicer’s five-hit performance, Blum went 4-for-6 in his collegiate debut to go along with Winsor and Johnston’s three-hit afternoons each. Winsor and Johnston also led the Warriors’ run-scoring barrage with three RBI each, while Hiebert, Spicer, and Blum scored three runs each.
On the mound, senior Derek Stokes (Anchorage, Alaska) began the game and got the win pitching the opening 5.0 innings allowing five runs (two earned) on five hits before turning the ball over to a trio of relievers. Freshmen Quinn Macnab (The Dalles, Ore.) and Tyler Doornink (Yakima, Wash.) combined to pitch 3.2 innings, as the duo allowed a combined 11 runs (nine earned) on nine hits before allowing Braun to get the game’s final out en route to earning his first save of the season.
For C of I, three different players – Carlsen, Jake Miller, and Luke Howarth – registered three hits each to go along with Carlsen’s game-high five RBI performance. On the hill, five ‘Yote pitchers combined to allow 18 runs (15 earned) on 24 Warrior hits.
With the win, Corban opens its season at 1-0 compared to C of I’s 0-1 season-opening mark. The Warriors will return to action on Saturday, February 14th, when they open the second day of play at the Regence BlueShield of Idaho Tournament against fellow NAIA West Grouping member Concordia beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Harris Field on the campus of Lewis-Clark State College.