BOX SCORES – GAME #1 | GAME #2

SALEM, Ore. – Sophomore Jessie Jones (Gladstone, Ore.) went a combined 5-for-6 with two runs scored and one RBI, but it was not enough as Corban's softball team fell to the Hustlin' Owls of Oregon Tech, 1-0 & 11-6, Saturday at Warrior Field.

Along with Jones' stellar performance, junior Rebecca Franke (Pendleton, Ore.) cranked her team-leading eighth home run of the season in Game #2.

In the first game, Oregon Tech used the four-hit, shut-out pitching of Becca Anderson and manufactured a single run in the fourth off a double steal, to nip Corban by a single run in the opener. Anderson went the distance, striking out three and setting the Warriors down in order in the 1st, 5th and 7th innings to gain the win.

The Owls scored the only run and earned the win in the first game when Bess Fagan and Jenny Austin lead off the fourth inning with back-to-back singles. The two move to 2nd and 3rd on a bunt by Ashleigh Larson. Kayde Schaefer's ground ball forced Fagan out at home and moved Austin to third, setting the stage for the special base-running play that Tech executed to gain the victory. Schaefer ran toward second on the next pitch, drawing the throw from the catcher and the Warriors' cut-off was not able to relay the ball to home, as Austin raced home from third to score the game's lone run and complete the double steal.

Franke collected two hits in the first game, then banged out three more in the second, including her team-leading eighth home run in the 3rd, and a double in her final at-bat in the 7th. Jones registered four consecutive singles in Game #2 to go along with two runs scored and a RBI. The duo combined for 10 of the Warriors' 16 total hits on the day, while Corban's top two hitters were instrumental in giving the Warriors a chance to win Game #2.

OIT took a 2-0 lead in the second game after Bess Fagan singled home a pair of runs in the third inning. Katie King walked and moved to third on Brittany Warren's double to set the stage for Fagan's two-out hit.

The Warriors responded in the bottom half of the inning, as junior Jessica Pierce (Kennewick, Wash.) walked and moved to second on Jones' second hit of the game. Senior Megan Gaylord (Portland, Ore.) bunted the two into scoring position before Jones scored when sophomore Jennifer Kollaer (Albany, Ore.) flied out to left. With Pierce aboard, Franke followed with a deep shot to dead center for her second round-tripper in two days to give Corban their first lead of the afternoon at 3-2.

Jones and Kollaer scored again for the Warriors in the fifth inning with the help of a two-base throwing error. Jones led off with a single, moved to second on Gaylord's second sacrifice bunt of the game, and scored when a throw from the Owls' pitcher following Kollaer's batted ball sailed past first base and into the right field fence in foul territory. Kollaer advanced all the way to third base and then scored on a wild pitch to bump Corban's lead to 5-2.

The Warriors made it 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Jones' two-out single to left scored freshman Twyla Baggarley (Hillsboro, Ore.), who had doubled to lead off the inning and moved to third on junior Kacie Emerick's (Bellingham, Wash.) bunt.

Oregon Tech banged out eight hits and capitalized on three Warrior errors to rack up nine runs in the top half of the seventh inning to gain the sweep. Andria Wheatley had two hits, scored twice and knocked in two runs in the Owls' big comeback inning. Ashleigh Larson helped with a two-run double, and teammates Bess Fagan, Larson, and Schaefer added RBI hits for Oregon Tech. Austin contributed to the scoring barrage with a sacrifice fly.

The visiting Hustlin' Owls picked up the win, closing down Corban in the bottom of the seventh inning getting three straight outs after Franke's lead-off double into the left-field corner.

Pitching-wise for Corban, senior Erin Sailors (Anchorage, Alaska) started both games going a combined 10.0 innings allowing three earned OIT runs on nine hits. Freshman Brittany Wagner (Oregon City, Ore.) relieved Sailors in Game #2 after the opening three innings and went 3.1 innings allowing seven runs (one earned) on seven hits before Baggarley got the final two outs.

Offensively, Oregon Tech was led by Fagan's combined 4-for-8 performance with three RBI. Meanwhile, Amber Knight pitched the opening 3.0 innings allowing four earned runs on 11 hits in Game #2 before turning the ball over to Anderson for 2.0 innings. In the top of the sixth inning, Knight returned to the circle for OIT and pitched 2.0 solid innings to pick up the victory.

With today's results, Corban is now 18-20 overall, 6-10 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Meanwhile, Oregon Tech improves to 16-15 overall, 6-8 in CCC action. The Warriors will return to the diamond on Friday, April 24th, when they face off against the conference co-leading 'Yotes of The College of Idaho beginning at 2:00 p.m. in Caldwell, Idaho.