The Roseburg High School baseball team was looking to get back on track after suffering its first Southwest Conference loss of the season last Friday. Evan Corbin found a way to get things steered in the right direction.
“It’s always good to come out on top and how you get there is always different and today we got there behind the arm of Evan Corbin, who was very effective and very good today,” Roseburg coach Troy Thompson said.
Corbin scattered four hits and struck out seven in a complete-game 1-0 shutout victory over South Eugene on Monday at Bill Gray Legion Stadium at Champion Car Wash Field.
“I felt good. I’d been dealing with some shoulder tightness, but I knew if I kept doing my thing my offense was going to come through and get a base hit and that’s what they did,” said Corbin, who improved to 2-1 on the season.
Just days after losing a one-run game against Grants Pass, the Indians managed to hold off the Axe through the final out.
Corbin pitched through a scoring opportunity for South Eugene (6-9, 1-5 SWC) in the second inning. With runners at first and second and just one out, Corbin struck out the next two batters to end the threat.
The Roseburg (11-5, 5-1) defense helped get Corbin out of jams in the later innings.
With runners on the corner, Knox Hubbard caught Ewan Hadley attempting to steal second base for the final out of the fourth inning.
In the fifth, Thompson said Roseburg’s middle infielders Sebastian Watson and Dawson Gillepsie turned a double-play that was “about as clean as it gets” to end the frame.
Watson was the catalyst for the game-ending double-play, as well. While fielding a grounder, Watson collided with and tagged out the South Eugene runner, then did a full spin and threw on target to first base to secure the victory.
View this post on Instagram
Roseburg mustered only four hits against South Eugene starter Leo Reeves, who went the distance in the loss.
Austin Takahashi was 3-for-3 and scored the game’s lone run on a two-out single by Gillespie.
Hadley and Landon Lea each had two hits for the Axe.
Roseburg will next host the Sheldon Irish on Tuesday for another Southwest Conference matchup. The game gets underway at 4:30 p.m. from Champion Car Wash Field.
South Eugene;000;000;0;—;0;4;2
Roseburg;001;000;X;—;1;4;0
Reeves and Santiago; Corbin and Hubbard. W — Corbin (2-1). L — Reeves.
