Corban Baseball Rains on Oregon Tech
ADAIR VILLAGE –
Jacob Kopra and
Austin Guzzon had outstanding pitcher performances and their teammates provided plenty of offensive support on a rainy and cold Saturday as Corban swept aside Oregon Tech, 6-1 and 13-1, in non-conference baseball games played at Santiam Christian High School.
After dropping the first game to OIT on Friday, the Warriors took the final three contests to improve their season record to 8-6. After today's losses the Owls are now 5-13.
Corban head coach Jeff McKay called it "a breakthrough doubleheader sweep for the Warriors with the combined outstanding starting pitching of Kopra and Guzzon. They are beginning to develop into quality pitching that can really put us in a position to beat the upper level teams in our conference."
CORBAN 6, OREGON TECH 1 (Box Score)
The game was scheduled to go nine innings but was called in the bottom of the eighth inning after a 70-minute rain delay.
Kopra rained all over the Oregon Tech lineup in seven outstanding innings. He went into the top of the seventh inning with a no-hitter before allowing the Owls' only hit, Spencer Reed's infield single. Kopra ended up allowing one unearned run while striking out five and walking two.
Daniel Aranda pitched two-thirds of an inning and
Tony Davidson got the final out before the game was delayed and eventually called because of consistent and sometimes heavy rain.
The Corban hitters gave Kopra all of the support he needed with two runs in the first, and they added single tallies in the fourth and fifth before getting two more in the sixth.
Daniel Orr, who finished 3-for-4, had a run-scoring single in the first and a long two-run double in the sixth.
Stockton Taylor drove in a run in the first with a ground ball,
Ben Straka hit a single to drive in a run in the fourth, and two walks, a base hit by Orr and a wild pitch accounted for the run in the fifth.
Landon Frost was 3-for-3 with two runs scored in the leadoff spot and
Marc Gallegos scored three runs for the Warriors, who finished the game with nine hits.
CORBAN 13, OREGON TECH 1 (Box Score)
After the long rain delay, the coaches and umpires agreed on a seven-inning contest to conclude the four-game set. Instead, the Warriors ended the game in the bottom of the fifth via the run rule.
Oregon Tech starting pitcher Darian Benanua lasted just four pitches as Frost's line drive back to the box ricocheted off his leg and past the first base bag for a single. Raf Bulloc came on in relief, one of three OIT pitchers called from the bullpen in this contest.
Frost was one of seven Warriors to cross home plate in the first inning. Orr, Straka and Gallegos had RBI singles,
Tyler Bennett had a run-scoring double, Taylor put down a suicide squeeze bunt,
Gregg Romero was hit by a bases-loaded pitch for a RBI, and the other run scored on a throwing error.
The Owls got solid middle-inning relief pitching from Kevin Stockam, but Corban finally got to the OIT lefty in the game-ending bottom of the fifth.
With the bases loaded and one out, Frost lined a single into left field to drive in a run. During the doubleheader the red-hot leadoff man was 6-for-6 with four runs scored.
After Frost's hit Romero drew a bases-loaded walk and Gallegos hit a sacrifice fly to center field. That gave the Warriors a 10-1 lead, putting them within a tally of ending the game via the NAIA's 10-run rule. Orr took care of that against reliever Justin Dibble, driving a 1-0 pitch well over the right field fence to end the contest.
Orr joined Frost in the category of hitting stars, adding two hits and four RBI to the three hits and three RBI he collected in the opener. Straka had two hits and scored two runs to help in the second-game victory.
Guzzon went the five-inning distance on the mound for Corban, stifling the Owls on four hits while walking two and striking out six. The only run he allowed came in the second when he struggled with his control in the cold and rain, giving up a walk, single and then throwing two wild pitches.
Ethan Schlecht was 2-for-2 and Tyson Dahl hit a triple for Oregon Tech.
Corban opens NAIA West play next weekend with four games against the Simpson Red Hawks in Redding, Calif.
"The team is beginning to come together and looking forward to begin conference play next weekend. This will be a fun team to watch this season," McKay said.