A little "Spicer" of life helps Warriors sweep Owls
March 17, 2007
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Junior Jordan Emery pitched a complete game shut out in the opener, as Corban's baseball team completed the three-game series sweep of OIT on Saturday at Warrior Field.(Photo courtesy of William Scott Photography) |
SALEM, Ore. – Sophomore Craig Spicer (Vancouver, Wash.) went a combined 5-for-7 with 3 runs scored and an RBI, as Corban's baseball team took a pair from the Hustlin' Owls of Oregon Tech, 4-0 & 8-6, to earn the series sweep at Warrior Field on Saturday.
Game #1 - Corban 4, Oregon Tech 0
In the opener, all the scoring came in the second inning when the host Warriors posted a four spot on the board thanks to six hits and batted around the order. Senior Jeremy Frantz (Medford, Ore.) began the stanza with a single through the right side before fellow senior Brett Timmerman (Medford, Ore.) doubled to right center to score Frantz for the game's first run. Following a wild pitch that advanced Timmerman to third, Spicer roped the Warriors' second straight two-bagger en route to scoring Timmerman. Junior Darren Johnson (Vancouver, Wash.) then advanced Spicer ninety feet with a sacrifice bunt before junior Doug Gausepohl (Murrieta, Calif.) drove home Corban's third run with a double to left field. Junior Jamie McGraw (Gaston, Ore.) then advanced pinch runner and sophomore Rondie Taylor (Clackamas, Ore.) to third before freshman Josh Warner (Independence, Ore.) drove in the host team's final run of the game with a single up the middle.
Junior starter Jordan Emery (Salem, Ore.) went the distance en route to shutting out the Hustlin' Owls, while giving up a mere five hits over seven innings. The right-hander struck out a game-high five OIT hitters, while surrendering a mere two walks.
Both Frantz and Spicer ended the game with a pair of hits each, while four other Warriors -- McGraw, Warner, Timmerman, and Gausepohl -- each registered base hits en route to Corban earning its second straight victory of the weekend.
For Oregon Tech, Dustin Kim Seu led the Owls' hit parade with a 2-for-3 performance, while Phil Ouelette, Bryan Barrington, and Marcus James were the only other OIT players to get base hits off Emery.
Game #2 - Corban 8, Oregon Tech 6
In the night cap, Corban began the scoring in the second inning when Gausepohl doubled to right center to drive in Johnson and Spicer and give the home team the earlier 2-0 advantage.
Oregon Tech pulled within a single run in the third inning when Ouelette opened the stanza with a walk before advancing to second on a wild pitch and then moving another ninety feet on a ground out to second base. The Hustlin' Owls got on the board when James grounded out to short stop, allowing Ouelette to score from third.
Up by a single run, Corban began to increase its lead with a single run in the fourth (sacrifice fly by Johnson), a run in the fifth (RBI single to left field by senior Ryan Heil (Medford, Ore.)), and a pair of runs in the sixth (RBI single to left by Gausepohl and RBI double down the left field line by Warner). By the final out of the sixth inning, Corban has increased its lead to 5 runs (6-1).
Unfortunately for the home team that lead would not hold, as Oregon Tech posted five runs in the top of the seventh inning. The Hustlin' Owls put their first run of the inning on the board with a bases loaded RBI single through the left side by designated hitter Sean Teaters before short stop Chris Curtis blasted a grand slam home run over the left field wall that knotted the score at 6-all with no one out in the inning. Junior reliever Scott Flux (Salem, Ore.) got the next two OIT hitters out via a pop up and a ground out before right fielder Mike Myhre doubled to left field and advanced to third on a pass ball. With the go-ahead run a mere ninety feet away, Flux got OIT's Dan Mecum to ground out to short stop ending the threat and setting up an exciting final two innings.
In their half of the seventh inning, the Warriors opened with a walk to Frantz, who advanced to second on a failed pick off attempt by OIT's pitcher. One batter later, Spicer singled down the right field line to put runners at the corners for Johnson. Johnson then executed a perfectly placed suicide squeeze bunt that scored Frantz from third and turned out to be the game-winning run.
To add insurance, Corban tacked on another run in the eighth inning when McGraw reached on a single to the pitcher before stealing second. One batter later, Heil was intentionally walked and Frantz delivered with a single up the middle that scored McGraw from second and gave Corban an extra insurance run for senior reliever Scott Fitchett (Sandpoint, Idaho) to work with in the final inning.
In the ninth inning, Fitchett allowed a pair of runs via walks and had the tying runs on second and third before getting the game's final batter to ground out to third and hand Corban its first series sweep of the season.
Spicer ended the game 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, while Gausepohl turned in a 2-for-4 performance with three runs batted in. Six other Warriors -- McGraw, Warner, Heil, Frantz, Johnson, and freshman Matt Schmidt (Corvallis, Ore.) -- each registered hits, while Warner, Heil, and Frantz each drove in runs for Corban.
Sophomore Jason Braun (Dallas, Ore.) started the game and pitched 6.0 innings, allowing 3 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits and struck out 3 Hustlin' Owl batters before handing the ball over to Flux for the seventh inning. Despite allowing 3 runs (2 earned), Flux picked up the victory thanks to Corban scoring a single run on the eighth before Fitchett took over the final two innings. Fitchett, who recorded his third save of the season, pitched the final 2.0 innings and allowed a mere hit.
Oregon Tech's Curtis and Teaters ended the game with two hits each, while Kim Seu, James, Fernando Castanedo, Barrington, and Ouelette each registered hits for the Hustlin' Owls. Derek Jacobson started the game for OIT, allowing 6 runs (all earned) in 5.2 innings of work before turning the ball over to reliever Ryan Henry for the final 2.1 innings of work.
With the double header sweep, Corban improves to 8-12-1 overall, 4-5 in Region I play. Meanwhile, Oregon Tech falls to 4-11 overall, 2-7 in Region I action. The Warriors return to action on Tuesday, March 20th, when they take a break from regional play to host the Redhawks of Simpson beginning at 4:00 p.m. on Warrior Field.
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