Braun pitches effectively, but Warriors fall to LCSC
April 27, 2007
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Sophomore Jason Braun pitched seven strong innings against the NAIA's No. 1-ranked Warriors of Lewis-Clark State College today in the opening game of three-game weekend series. (Photo courtesy of Josh Randolph) |
SALEM, Ore. -
Sophomore Jason Braun (Dallas, Ore.) turned in his longest outing of the season going seven innings, but Corban's baseball team fell to the NAIA's No. 1-ranked Lewis-Clark State, 6-2, in the "Battle of the Warriors" on Friday at Warrior Field.
Against a highly-touted Warrior squad from Lewis-Clark State, the Corban Warriors held their own until the top of the third inning when the nation's top-ranked team put a six spot on the board.
L-C State led off the top of the third inning with Donnie Ecker roping a single up the middle before stealing second. Mark Thompson then sent a bullet up the middle past Braun, which moved Ecker to third. Thompson then recorded his second stolen base of the afternoon, putting runners at second and third with Brent Wyatt at the plate. Wyatt proceeded to ground out to second base, allowing the game's first runner -- Ecker -- to cross the plate. NAIA All-American candidate and the nation's leading home run and RBI man, Beau Mills, then laced a double to straight-away center field that ricocheted off the outside wall of Corban's hitting shed and allowed Thompson to score from third. Kyle Greene then singled through the right side before Paul Martin registered another single up the middle that made the score 4-0 in favor of L-C State. The final two runs of the inning came via a bases loaded walk and a hit batter with three runners on before LCSC's Zach Evangelho helped Braun out of the inning by hitting into an inning-ending double play.
In the bottom half of the third frame, Corban put a pair of runs on the board when freshman Josh Warner (Independence, Ore.) led off the inning with an infield single before junior Doug Gausepohl (Murrieta, Calif.) was hit by a pitch. Freshman Zack James (Medford, Ore.) then moved each runner up ninety feet with a sacrifice bunt back to the pitcher before junior Jamie McGraw (Gaston, Ore.) singled to right field, allowing Warner to score the host team's first run. The very next batter -- sophomore Craig Spicer (Vancouver, Wash.) -- brought home the game's final run with a single to center field that scored sophomore courtesy runner Rondie Taylor (Clackamas, Ore.) from third.
Over the final six innings, the two teams combined for eight hits with Corban's pitching staff -- Braun, senior Zeke Clayton (Myrtle Creek, Ore.), and senior Scott Fitchett (Sandpoint, Idaho) -- combining to allow a mere six bases hits over the final twenty-four LCSC batters of the game.
On the other hand, Lewis-Clark State's pitching trio of Mike Miller, Brad Schwarzenbach, and Brian Bird allowed six Warrior hits over the final six innings.
McGraw and senior Jeremy Frantz (Medford, Ore.) each collected a pair of hits off Lewis-Clark State pitching to lead Corban's offense, while three other Warriors -- Spicer, Warner, and Gausepohl -- each registered base knocks.
Lewis-Clark State's Greene lead all hitters with a 3-for-5 performance, while Thompson and Mills each collected two hits and a RBI. Six different LCSC Warriors -- Thompson, Wyatt, Mills, Martin, Jessie Roehl, and Ecker -- drove in runs for the nation's top-ranked team from Lewiston, Idaho.
Braun was saddled with the loss despite his best pitching performance of the season, while L-C State's Miller earned his fourth win of the season.
With the loss, Corban falls to 12-29-1 overall, while Lewis-Clark State improves to 42-3 overall. These same two teams will return tomorrow -- Saturday, April 28th -- to Warrior Field for a late-morning double header beginning at 11:00 a.m.
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