SALEM, Ore. – Eastern Oregon baseball dropped the opener to Corban on Friday before erupting for a home run-filled win in game two to split the day.
Game 1
After a scoreless first inning, Eastern Oregon struck first.
Greyson McDaniels tripled to center field, and
Carson Gerding brought him home with a sacrifice fly to give the Mounties an early lead.
Both offenses went quiet again as Corey Easton allowed just one Warrior to reach base through the first three innings. In the bottom of the fourth, Corban took the lead. Two doubles tied the game before a Mountaineer error allowed the Warriors to push across their second run.
Eastern threatened in the fifth inning with three runners reaching base, but Corban escaped the inning without allowing a run. The Warriors then added two more runs in the bottom of the frame, using two walks and a single to extend their lead to 4-1.
The Mounties responded in the seventh to pull back within striking distance.
Mario Landeros singled up the middle, McDaniels was hit by a pitch, and
Jaxon Logsdon delivered a clutch pinch-hit double to score two runs.
Corban answered in the bottom of the inning, extending its lead to 6-3 after stringing together three hits and a hit-by-pitch. Over the final two innings, the Warriors held Eastern to just one walk while adding another run to secure a 7-3 victory and hand the Mounties their first loss of the series.
Easton (0-3) took the loss for Eastern Oregon. Jack Kovanen (2-4) earned the win after throwing 5.2 innings, allowing just one run while striking out three.
Game 2
Eastern Oregon responded in a big way in game two.
Jace Nagler opened the game with a home run to give the Mounties an immediate lead. With a runner on base,
Alex Olague followed with a two-run homer. Later in the inning,
Jaxon Logsdon added another home run with a runner aboard, and
David Soto capped the explosive inning with a solo shot as Eastern jumped out to a 6-0 lead.
The Mounties continued to build on the advantage in the second inning when Olague launched his second home run of the game, a two-run blast that pushed the lead to 8-0.
Eastern held Corban scoreless through the first five innings, limiting the Warriors to just three hits and one walk. The Mounties added more in the sixth inning when Soto hit his second home run of the game. A walk, a single, and a wild pitch later helped extend the lead to 10-0.
Corban finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth, capitalizing on a pitching change that gave the Warriors three free bases. Two singles drove in three runs to cut the deficit to 10-3.
Eastern added its final run in the ninth inning after two Corban errors and a wild pitch. The Warriors threatened in the bottom half with two hit-by-pitches and a single but lined into a double play to end the game as Eastern Oregon secured an 11-3 victory to split the day.
Will Slater (1-0) earned the win with two innings of relief, striking out four. Brady Sprague (1-2) took the loss for the Warriors.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will continue the series with Corban tomorrow morning, with first pitch set for 9 AM.
