BOX SCORES – GAME #1 | GAME #2

SALEM, Ore. – Sophomore Stephanie Nippert (Rocklin, Calif.) continues to add to her single-season school record for home runs, as the second-year Warriors went a combined 5-for-7 with two home runs, three runs scored, and two runs batted in a pair of losses to the NAIA's No. 17-ranked Oregon Tech, 6-3 & 8-2, Friday at Warrior Field.

Nippert would account for Corban's first run in each of the games, as she belted her team and conference-leading 15th and 16th home runs of the season to put the Warriors on the board.

GAME #1 – OREGON TECH 6, CORBAN 3

In the opener, Oregon Tech would get on the board first when Shauna Collins drew a lead off walk before coming home two batters later on a Jess Plummer single to center field to put the nationally-ranked Owls up by a single run (1-0).

Oregon Tech would add another run in the top of the third inning when Collins registered a one-out single to second base before stealing second and coming home on an Ashleigh Larson single up the middle to make the score 2-0 in favor of the visiting Owls.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Corban finally got on the board when Nippert led off the frame with her 15th home run of the season over the right field fence making the score 2-1. One batter later, sophomore Tamara Feb (Oregon City, Ore.) belted her fifth home run of the season over the right center field fence to tie the score at 2-all through four innings of play.

Oregon Tech would waste no time in retaking the lead, as the Owls plated four runs in the top of the fifth inning on a pair of hits. Brittany Cherry would be the dagger in the Warriors' armor when she hit her third home run of the season via a grand slam that sailed deep over the left field fence to put the Owls up by four runs (6-2). Corban nearly got out of the inning unscathed, as fourth-year head coach Nathan Ohta made a strategic move with runners on second and third by walking Larson to load the bases with one out. The Owls' Jess Plummer would hit a ground ball back to the pitcher, as Corban attempted to end the inning with a double play but could not complete the play despite getting the lead runner. Unfortunately, Cherry would embark on an eight-pitch battle with the Warriors' pitcher before depositing the eventual game-winning hit on the opposite side of the fence.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, junior Emma Winckler (Eltopia, Wash.) and freshman Courtney Castronovo (Salem, Ore.) led off with back-to-back doubles with the second hit driving home Corban's third and final run of the afternoon. The Warriors had a chance to extend the game with runners on first and second following an infield single by junior Abbie Pynch (Stayton, Ore.) with two outs, but OIT's pitcher got the final out with Nippert waiting in the on-deck circle.

Nippert would go a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate for the Warriors to go along with one run scored and one RBI, while Pynch was the only other Corban player with more than one hit. Senior Makenzie Marchbanks (Sweet Home, Ore.) went the distance for the Warriors allowing six earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts.

Oregon Tech was led offensively by six different players that registered one hit each, while Cherry drove in a game-high four RBI to go along with Jackie Imhof's complete game performance allowing three earned runs on eight hits with a game-high 10 K's.

GAME #2 – OREGON TECH 8, CORBAN 2

In the finale, neither team scored in the opening inning before Oregon Tech exploded for six runs on four hits in the second inning with Taylor Schmidt and Larson both hitting home runs via a two-run and three-run blast, respectively.

Corban would get one run back in the bottom of the fourth inning when Nippert doubled to right center with one out before coming home on a Feb single to left field that pulled the Warriors within five runs (6-1).

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Nippert took the second pitch that she saw to lead off the inning deep down the left field line over the fence for her 16th home run of the season making the score 6-2 in favor of the visiting Owls.

Oregon Tech would add two more runs in the top of the seventh inning, as Collins led off with a double to left center before coming around to score on Larson's double to right field. Plummer would bring Larson home with a run-scoring single to right field that would cap the game's scoring at 8-2.

Nippert and fellow sophomore Liane DeHart (Kent, Wash.) both registered two hits in the night cap, while Winckler went the opening 1.2 innings allowing six runs (three earned) on five hits before giving way to junior reliever Brittany Wagner (Oregon City, Ore.) for the final 5.1 innings of work.

The visiting Owls got a 3-for-4 performance from Collins with two runs scored, while Larson added two hits, two runs, and four RBI. Schmidt went the distance in the circle for OIT allowing two earned runs on seven hits with a game-high five strikeouts.

With today's result, Corban has its conference-high five-game winning streak snapped falling to 20-15 overall and 12-8 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Meanwhile, Oregon Tech improves to 32-11 overall and 18-4 in league games en route to capturing the CCC regular season title for the second time in four seasons. The Owls will also be the top seed and host this year's CCC Championship Series during the first full weekend in May at the OIT Softball Complex in Klamath Falls.

The Warriors will return to action tomorrow – Saturday, April 23rd – against the Raiders of Southern Oregon in a late-morning double header starting at 11:00 a.m. on Warrior Field in Salem.