Corban opens Spring Classic with loss to George Fox
February 22, 2007
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Junior Jamie McGraw went 1-for-4 at the plate, including the Warriors' lone extra base hit -- a triple --, as Corban dropped the opening game of the Yamhill County Spring Baseball Classic to NCAA D-III member George Fox. (Photo courtesy of Josh Randolph) |
NEWBERG, Ore. – Despite hits from nine different players, including a triple by junior Jamie McGraw (Gaston, Ore.), Corban's baseball team dropped its opening game at the Yamhill County Spring Baseball Classic, 10-4, to NCAA Division III member George Fox on Thursday.
Equaling the best start in team history, the Bruins of George Fox ran their record to 5-0 as they banged out 13 hits en route to a 6-run victory over the Warriors at Morse Field.
The Bruins chipped away at Corban's right-hander junior Jordan Emery (Salem, Ore.) with single runs in the 2nd and 6th innings and a pair in both the 3rd and 4th frames before breaking the game open with four in the top of the 8th. Daniel Downs doubled and Matt Wyckoff singled him home in the 2nd to get the Bruins on the board first, and Bo Thunell slugged a two-run shot to left-center, his first home run of the season, in the 3rd.
Wyckoff had another RBI single in the 4th, and he scored when Ryan Fobert's drive to left-center resulted in a triple after McGraw's foot got trapped under the wire fence while tracking the ball down. Fobert doubled and scored on a wild pitch in the 6th, making it 6-0.
The Bruins put it away in the 8th against senior reliever Kyle Myers (Canyon City, Ore.) and sophomore reliever Brandon Wolters (Gresham, Ore). Drew Johnson singled in Josh Burch, Dan Wentzell's bases-loaded walk forced in a run, Bryan Donohue scored on a balk by Wolters, and Thunell came in on Downs' grounder to short.
Downs led the Bruins with three hits, including a double, while Thunell, Wyckoff, and Fobert had two hits each, with Thunell collecting a double and Fobert a double and a triple.
Nick Bratney went the distance for the Bruins, scattering nine hits among nine different batters, striking out two and walking one. He threw only 99 pitches and was helped out by four double plays. All the runs he allowed were unearned runs due to two unusual errors.
In the 7th, senior Ryan Heil (Medford, Ore.) reached first safely when Thunell's throw from third was wide and it was ruled by the base umpire that first baseman Bryan Donohue missed the runner on an apparent tag play. Heil later scored on senior Brett Timmerman's (Medford, Ore.) sacrifice fly. In the 9th, the Warriors got three more runs on an RBI single by sophomore Owen Frasier (Vancouver, Wash.), a double play grounder, and a balk, but a catcher's interference call had kept the inning alive and made all the runs unearned.
With the loss, Corban falls to 3-5-1 overall. The Warriors will return to the diamond tomorrow -- Friday, February 23rd -- when they go toe-to-toe with co-tournament host Linfield College beginning at 6:00 p.m. in McMinnville.
Story courtesy of Blair Cash, George Fox Sports Information Director
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