BOX SCORES – GAME #1 | GAME #2
SALEM, Ore. – Senior
Erin Sailors (Anchorage, Alaska) struck out a school-record 16 batters in the opener, as Corban's softball team earned a split with the Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon, 3-2 & 5-13, Friday afternoon at Warrior Field.
In the opener, Corban got on the board in the home half of the first inning as sophomore
Jessie Jones (Gladstone, Ore.) laced a double to deep left center field and then scored on an RBI single by junior
Rebecca Franke (Pendleton, Ore.). The Warriors were not done, as Franke advanced to second via a stolen base before a single from junior
Rachel Steigleman (Eugene, Ore.) situated runners on second and third with just one out. The Warriors then received a helping hand from the Mountaineers, as a wild pitch would score Franke to give the Warriors a 2-0 lead after one inning of play.
Eastern Oregon would be silenced until the top half of the third inning, as a lead-off walk and stolen base from Ashleigh Byrne gave the Mountaineers their first runner in scoring position. A single from Iris Woodhead would advance Byrne to third and a RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Megan Platz would put Eastern Oregon on the board, 2-1.
The Mountaineers continued their push in the fourth inning thanks to an RBI single off the bat of Kimmy Peterson that scored Ashli Hughes and tied the game at 2-2.
Being held in check by the arm of Sailors, the Mountaineers struggled to get players in scoring positions the rest of the game.
Rallying behind their ace's stellar performance, the Warriors came out in the sixth inning determined to give Sailors her sixth win of the season. Franke would reach base thanks to a EOU error before a stolen base put another runner in scoring position. A sacrifice bunt from Steigleman would advance Franke to third before yet another costly Mountaineer wild pitch would give the Warriors the late lead, 3-2.
Determined to end her outstanding performance the right way, Sailors would need just seven pitches, including her school-record 16th strikeout, to close out any chance of a late Eastern Oregon comeback giving the Warriors their 16th win overall, including their impressive fourth win in conference play.
In the backside of the double-header, the visiting Mountaineers would strike first, as a costly error gave Eastern Oregon the early 1-0 lead.
In its half of the first inning, Corban would use a lead-off single from Jones to halt the early momentum exhibited from the Mountaineers. Advancing to second via her 14th stolen base of the season, Jones saw herself sitting on second base, as sophomore
Jennifer Kollaer (Albany, Ore.) laced a line drive double into center field to tying the game at 1-1. The Warriors were not done just yet, as two batters later, Steigleman would return the favor with a double to deep center field that allowed Kollaer to score and gave Corban their first lead of the game, 2-1.
Keeping the pressure on tight, the Warriors would jump on the board once again in the bottom of the second. A dropped third strike would start the inning off landing freshman
Twyla Baggarley (Hillsboro, Ore.) on first. A sacrifice bunt moved Baggerley over to second before a hit by pitch to senior
Megan Gaylord (Portland, Ore.) placed runners on first and second. Another Mountaineer wild pitch would move both runners up before a single off the bat of Jones would score Baggarley, coupled with a RBI groundout from Kollaer to give Corban a 4-1 lead.
Responding to the early scoring from the Warriors, the Mountaineers would come out firing in the top half of the third. Behind just three hits, Eastern Oregon would take advantage of two costly Warrior errors and go on to put up four runs en route to taking a 5-4 lead.
Much to the displeasure of the Warriors, the scoring would not stop there. A one-two-three inning from the Warriors in the bottom half of the third spelled trouble, as the Mountaineers would tack on another run in the top half of the fourth, extending the lead to 6-4.
Yet another three up, three down inning would prove once again troublesome to Corban, as the Mountaineers would add another four spot that including Megan Monaghan's second home run of the game that extended the lead to 10-4.
Extending her great day at the plate, Jones would add her third single of the game to lead off the Warriors' half of the fifth inning. Advancing to second on a passed ball and to third on a wild pitch, Jones would complete her trip around the diamond on a throwing error from the Mountaineer shortstop. Unfortunately for the Warriors, that would be the last scoring output of the game, as Eastern Oregon would go on to add another three runs in the top of the seventh en route to a 13-5 victory.
Jones registered a combined 5-for-7 performance, while Sailors and Baggerley started in the circle for the Warriors in each game. Sailors' record-setting day included two earned runs over seven solid innings, while Baggarley went the opening 2.0 innings before handing the ball to freshman
Brittany Wagner (Oregon City, Ore.) to finish the pitching performance for the Warriors.
Eastern Oregon's Monaghan would combine her two games for an impressive 5-for-7 performance at the plate that included her second and third home runs of the season to go along with five RBI and three runs scored. Starting in the circle for the Mountaineers in the first game was Kayli Johnston, while Samantha Pedro pitched the night cap en route to her first win of the season.
With today's results, Corban moves to 16-12 overall, including a 4-2 mark within Cascade Collegiate Conference play. On the other end, Eastern Oregon improves to 4-13 overall, including a 2-4 conference mark. The Warriors will find themselves on the field on Saturday, Apirl 4th, as they welcome in the nationally-ranked 'Yotes of The College of Idaho in an early season conference double-header scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. at Warrior Field.
