Warrior bats nearly pull off upset of NCAA D-II WOU

March 29, 2006

BOX SCORE

MONMOUTH, Ore. – Continuing to sizzle at the plate and make things happen offensively, the Corban baseball team banged out 14 hits, jumped out to a 6-1 lead, and nearly pulled off an upset over GNAC co-leader Western Oregon University, before falling 8-7 in the bottom of the 9th at WOU Field. 

The Warriors built a surprising five-run lead following a 4-run fifth inning coupled with solid pitching from starting pitcher, sophomore Derek Stokes (Anchorage, Alaska).  Collecting four hits and capitalizing on two errors, Corban gained a 6-1 advantage in its top-half of the 5th, as sophomore Doug Gausepohl (Murrieta, Calif.) singled home a run and sophomore Darren Johnson (Vancouver, Wash.) added an RBI grounder to headline the 4-run burst.

Western Oregon fought back, scoring 2 runs in the 5th, one in the 7th due to an error, and three in the 8th with the aid of a walk and wild pitch to take a 7-6 lead into the 9th.  The Warriors battled back in the 9th to knot the score at 7-apiece when junior Jeremy Frantz (Medford, Ore.) singled and pinch runner Matt Schmidt (FR., Corvallis, Ore.) advanced on a passed ball, moved to third on senior Jesse Gaylord’s (Portland, Ore.) bunt single, and scored on Johnson’s RBI base hit to left. Corban left runners stranded at second and third base closing out the top-half of the ninth.

It took a 2-out single from Paul Fisher in the bottom of the 9th to lift the Wolves to their 13th victory.  The Warriors out-hit WOU 14-12, making it three games in a row they have collected 11 or more hits in a contest.

Corban got on board in the second when Johnson was hit by a pitch, advanced on a single by sophomore Scott Flux (Salem, Ore.), and scored on the first of four base hits by junior Brett Timmerman (Medford, Ore.). Timmerman finished 4-for-5 on the day and became the second Warrior player in two days to rack up four-straight hits before being retired. Sophomore Jamie McGraw (Gaston, Ore.) had four safeties in a row against Willamette on Tuesday.  Corban led 2-1 in the 4th after Timmerman singled, moved to third on a Gausepohl double, and scored on a sac-fly by McGraw.

Frantz boosted his team-leading batting average among regulars to .373 (28 for 75) with three hits in five at-bats. Johnson had 2 RBIs and, along with Frantz, scored two runs for Corban. Gausepohl was 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Warriors.

Stokes scattered three hits over the first 4 innings on the mound for Corban, striking out four and giving up only one earned run to a Wolves’ team that is tied with Northwest Nazarene University for first in the NCAA Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  Three other Warrior hurlers – senior Josh Gaylord (Portland, Ore.), freshman Jason Braun (Dallas, Ore.) and junior Zeke Clayton (Myrtle Creek, Ore.) – finished off pitching duties for the visitors.

Corban is now 6-14 overall, while Western Oregon improves to 13-11 on the season.  The Warriors return home for a NAIA Region I series against the University of British Columbia, beginning Friday, March 31st, with a single game at 2:00 p.m. at Warrior Field.