Willamette to Play at Corban in Crosstown Rivalry Game on Tuesday

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University and Corban University will meet in baseball for the second time in eight days when the Bearcats take on the Warriors on Tuesday, March 31 on the Corban campus. Game time in the crosstown rivalry is set for 4 p.m. (PDT).

Last week, the teams also met on Tuesday, with Corban earning a 7-2 victory over the Bearcats at John Lewis Field. Entering this week's game, Willamette is 17-7 on the season, while Corban is 17-18 overall.

In last week's game, Mason Fessler (Fr., INF, Woodburn, OR/Blanchet Catholic School) led Willamette with a 2-for-4 performance and one RBI at the plate. Jordan Ramp (Sr., LF/RHP, Sherwood, OR/Sherwood HS/Saddleback College) was 1 for 2 with a double. Fessler went on to go 4 of 8 against Linfield over the weekend to end the week 6 of 12 (.500).

Although Willamette lost the game against Corban, three relief pitchers each threw one inning without allowing a hit or a run. They were Shea Harrison (Jr., RHP/OF, El Cerrito, CA/El Cerrito HS), Gordie Clary (Jr., RHP/RF, Vacaville, CA/Vacaville HS) and Lucas Still (Fr., RHP, Sacramento, CA/Christian Brothers HS).

For Corban, Chase Swainston (Fr., CF) was 2 of 4 with two runs and two RBIs. Peter Martin (Grad., LF) went 2 for 5 and recorded two RBIs. Pitcher Zach Toney (Fr., RHP) threw the first three innings and gave up no runs and only one hit.

Willamette's top hitters for the season are Tiras Koon (Sr., 1B, Honolulu, HI/Iolani School), Fessler and Troy Conway (Fr., 2B, Moorpark, CA/Moorpark HS). Koon is batting .360 (27 of 75) with a team-high 23 RBIs to go with 18 runs scored. He leads the Bearcats with five home runs and 14 walks.

Fessler owns a .347 batting average (17 of 49). He has achieved nine RBIs. Conway's average is .329 (24 of 73). He also has driven in nine runs, while scoring 15 times. He is 6 for 6 on stolen bases.

Also batting above the .300 mark are Hunter Gallant (Sr., 3B, Rescue, CA/Ponderosa HS) and Rolenn Himuro (Sr., CF, Honolulu, HI/Punahou School). Gallant is hitting .326 and Himuro is hitting .303.

Marc Gallegos (Sr., 2B/CF) leads Corban with a .365 batting average (27 of 74). He has registered 19 RBIs and scored 14 runs, while hitting six doubles. Nic Coffman (Jr., UT/RHP) follows with a .360 average (27 of 75). He is tied for the team lead with 23 runs scored and has contributed a team-high 21 rBIs. He has hit five doubles, two triples and five home runs.

Ryan Rosas (So., INF) is batting .339 for the Warriors (42 of 124). His 23 runs are tied with Coffman for first place on the team. Rosas has hit five doubles and two triples, while producing 16 RBIs.

After taking on Corban, the Bearcats will play three Northwest Conference games against Pacific University this weekend. The Bearcats will host the Boxers in one game on Friday, April 3 at 3 p.m. (PDT), and the teams will play two game on Saturday, April 4 starting at 12 p.m. All three games against Pacific will be played at John Lewis Field.