LA GRANDE, Ore. – Eastern Oregon baseball dropped a pair of high-scoring thrillers to Corban on Sunday afternoon at Optimist Field, falling 8-7 in the opener and coming up just short in a 16-15 slugfest in game two.
Game One: Corban 8, Eastern Oregon 7
Despite an early five-run cushion, the Mountaineers couldn't hold off a Corban comeback in game one. Parker Cumberland jumpstarted the offense with a solo home run to right in the first, and Easton Espinoza followed with a bases-clearing double to give Eastern Oregon a 4-0 lead. Tucker Zander made it 5-0 in the second with an RBI single.
Corban erupted in the third with five runs on six hits, highlighted by a two-run shot from Isaac Bateman and a solo blast from Joshua Miyazawa to tie the game. Noah Owens added a solo homer in the fourth to put the Warriors ahead 6-5.
EOU briefly pulled even in the sixth with a sacrifice fly from Tyler Balkenbush, and closed the gap again in the eighth after another Balkenbush RBI walk. However, Lucas Mertlich's two-run homer in the top of the eighth proved to be the difference. Jake Herrera took the loss in relief, while Sam Greenhalg was credited with the win. Casey Henderson was credited with the save.
Game Two: Corban 16, Eastern Oregon 15
In a wild back-and-forth affair featuring 31 runs and 34 hits, Eastern Oregon erased multiple deficits but ultimately fell short in the ninth.
The Mountaineers jumped out early again with five runs in the first two innings, including a two-run single by Greyson McDaniel and an RBI base hit from Trevor Baker. Corban answered with seven runs between the third and fifth innings, powered by Drew DeMasi's six-RBI performance, which included a grand slam in the fifth.
Eastern Oregon rallied from a 12-8 hole behind a two-run homer from Mason Van Arsdall and a two-RBI single from Mario Landeros in the sixth to take a 13-12 lead. After Corban responded with three runs in the seventh, the Mounties tied the game once more in their half. Parker Cumberland delivered an RBI single, then Rogelio Gonzales came home on a wild pitch to knot it 15-15.
Corban regained the lead in the eighth on Miyazawa's infield RBI single, and Eastern Oregon stranded two runners in scoring position in both the eighth and ninth innings. Cumberland went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, while Landeros added two hits and two RBIs. Tanner Boe was credited with the win for the Warriors, while Peyton Rickard earned the save in relief in addition to his four RBI's at the plate. Joey Weissenfels was credited with the loss for Eastern Oregon.
The Mounties will look to respond next Friday when they face University of British Columbia at Optimist Field.
