Sophomore duo guides Warriors to split with Cavaliers

April 12, 2006

BOX SCORES - GAME #1 | GAME #2

Sophomore Jordan Emery pitched his second straight complete game, as he earned a 4-hit shutout against the Cavaliers of Concordia. (Photo by Charissa Hunter)

SALEM, Ore. – Sophomore Jordan Emery (Salem ,Ore.) pitched a complete game 4-hit shutout and fellow sophomore Doug Gausepohl (Murrieta, Calif.) went 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs in the night cap, as Corban’s baseball team picked up a conference split, 6-8 & 11-0, against the Cavaliers of Concordia on Warrior Field. 

Game #1 – Concordia 8, Corban 6

In the opener, Concordia scored at least one run in 5-out-of-6 innings and Cavalier pitching shut down Corban’s bats en route to an 8-6 victory.  Falling behind 7-0 after five innings, the Warriors put 5 runs on the board beginning when sophomore Darren Johnson (Vancouver, Wash.) singled through the right side scoring fellow sophomore Ryan Porter (Keizer, Ore.).  One batter later, senior Brian Nelson (Lebanon, Ore.) singled to right field scoring sophomore Jamie McGraw (Gaston, Ore.) from third.  With runners on first and second, junior Jeremy Frantz (Medford, Ore.) hit his 5th home run of the season – a 3-run shot straight down the left field line – for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th runs of the inning.

Following a lone Cavalier run in the 6th inning, Corban attempted a comeback in the 7th inning when Nelson registered his 2nd hit of the game – an RBI single through the left side – that scored Porter.  Concordia’s starter Mike Allen got the final batter of the game to fly out to center field to finish the complete game victory and secure his 5th win of the season.

Junior starter Scott Fitchett (Sandpoint, Idaho) went the first 5.0 innings for Corban, allowing 8 runs (5 earned) on 10 hits before turning the ball over to sophomore Derek Stokes (Anchorage, Alaska) for the final 2.0 innings. 

Game #2 – Corban 11, Concordia 0

In the night cap, both teams were locked in a pitching dual until the 5th inning when senior Jesse Gaylord (Portland, Ore.) led off the inning with an infield single.  After a sacrifice bunt by junior Brett Timmerman (Medford, Ore.) that moved Gaylord to second, Gausepohl connected on his 1st home run of the season – a blast to left center – that gave Emery all the support that he needed.

In the top of the 6th inning, junior Kyle Myers (Canyon City, Ore.) kept the shut out in tact for Emery when he made a running catch in right field and then teamed with Gaylord and Nelson to complete a 9-4-3 double play that caught Concordia’s Derek Shigano too far off first and ended the inning.

Both Emery and Concordia’s starter Bryan Goff were cruising through the first seven innings, before offense exploded in the 8th inning.  McGraw led off the inning with a double to left center and then was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Myers.  Following a single by Frantz, Johnson singled through the left side, knocking Goff out of the game.  Cavalier reliever Kyle Well then walked Gaylord to load the bases before delivering his second straight walk to Timmerman that scored junior pinch runner Ryan Heil (Medford, Ore.) from third.  Concordia’s Jason Grisham relieved Well and walked Gausepohl, scoring Johnson, before Porter, McGraw, and Myers roped back-to-back-to-back singles to give Corban a commanding 9-0 lead.  Nelson continued the scoring when he reached via an error that scored McGraw from second.  Following a hit batter, Johnson capped the Warrior scoring with a single that scored Myers from third before Nelson was thrown out at the plate attempting to score from second.

Emery pitched a perfect 9th inning to pick up his 4th win of the season, hurling a commanding 4-hit shutout that included 7 strikeouts.  The sophomore right-hander faced the minimum number of batters in 5 out of his 9 innings thanks to stellar pitching and heads up defensive plays.

Frantz ended the day 4-for-8 at the plate with 4 runs batted in and 1 run scored, while Porter was 4-for-6 with 1 RBI and 3 runs scored.  McGraw was 3-for-8 with 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored, as Johnson was 3-for-9 with 2 runs batted in and 2 runs scored.

Concordia was led by Josh Brandt, who went 4-for-6 with 1 run scored and 4 runs batted in.  Brandt and John Grote each registered home runs in the opening game, as Brandt connected on his 6th home run in the 3rd inning and Grote blasted his team-leading 8th round-tripper in the 6th inning.

With the split, Corban is now 8-20 overall, 3-14 in Region I action.  Concordia is now 12-23 overall, 6-11 in Region I play.  The Warriors are next in action on Friday, April 14th, when they match up with the NAIA’s No. 1-ranked Warriors of Lewis-Clark State College beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Lewiston, Idaho.