Corban Tops Linfield, 6-4

Salem-News.com SPORTS

McMINNVILLE - Fifteen hits and five errors proved too much for the Linfield Wildcats, who absorbed a 6-4 defeat to Corban in a soggy Yamhill County Spring Classic tournament game at Roy Helser Field.

Linfield dropped its second straight game of the tournament after a 3-1 start.

Handicapped by a rain-soaked field, the Wildcats were erratic on defense, normally one of their strong suits.

Jamie McGraw and Ryan Heil both went 3 for 5 to pace the Warriors, who boosted their season record to 4-5.

The Warriors jumped on Wildcats starter Joshua Guterman for five runs in the first inning, highlighted by a two-run RBI single by Jeremy Frantz and Darren Johnson’s one-run single.

Three fielding errors also contributed to Linfield’s early struggles.

Stew Davis got Linfield on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first with a single to center field that scored Kevin Mills from second base.

The Wildcats closed the gap in the fourth, plating two runs on RBIs by Mills and Don Bard to make it 5-3.

James Kilcup added to the Warriors’ cushion in the sixth with a bloop single to center than scored Doug Gausepohl from third.

In the bottom of the inning, a sacrafice fly by Mills scored Shannon Chung.

Mills went 2 for 3 and drove in a pair of runs, while Bard and Chung each were 2 for 4.

Guterman (0-1) allowed 11 hits and three earned runs over the first six innings.

Reese McCulley took over in relief, allowing four hits to close the game. The pair combined for five strikeouts.

Warriors starter Brett Timmerman picked up the win, striking out three and scattering eight hits across five innings.

Linfield takes on British Columbia Saturday at 4:00 PM at Roy Helser Field.

Other scheduled games Saturday have Corban meeting Pacific Lutheran at noon in McMinnville and Concordia taking on George Fox at 1:00 PM in Newberg.

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