BOX SCORES – GAME #1 | GAME #2

SALEM, Ore. – Sophomore Rachel Conard (Merlin, Ore.) went a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI in Game #2 to go along with run-scoring hits in the opener by freshmen Courtney Castronovo (Salem, Ore.) and Lounette Jackson (Escalon, Calif.), as Corban's softball team swept Southern Oregon, 3-1 & 11-8, Saturday at Warrior Field.

Eight of the nine Warrior hitters registered at least two hits in the double header with Conard and fellow sophomore Liane DeHart (Kent, Wash.) recording four hits each, while sophomore Stephanie Nippert (Rocklin, Calif.) collected three hits in the finale that included her team and conference-leading 17th home run of the season.

Senior Makenzie Marchbanks (Sweet Home, Ore.) went the distance in Game #1 en route to collecting her 10th win of the season allowing a mere one earned run on four hits with a game-high tying two strikeouts. In the finale, junior Brittany Wagner (Oregon City, Ore.) went the opening 5.0 innings allowing three earned runs on seven hits before giving way to Marchbanks for the final three outs.

GAME #1 – CORBAN 3, SOUTHERN OREGON 1

In the opener, neither team scored in the opening two innings until Corban got on the board in the bottom of the third inning when Jackson led off with a walk before advancing to second on a single to right center by junior Abbie Pynch (Stayton, Ore.). Both runners would advance 60 feet on a ground out by DeHart before Jackson came home on a batted ball by Nippert that was dropped by SOU's centerfielder allowing the Warriors to take a one-run lead (1-0) after three complete innings of play.

Southern Oregon had a golden opportunity to take command of the game in the top of the fourth inning when the visiting Raiders had the bases loaded with one out. With runners on all three bases, Corban's combo of sophomore catcher Tamara Feb (Oregon City, Ore.) and fellow sophomore Erica Fitzgerald (Beaverton, Ore.) teamed up to pick off SOU's runner on first base for the second out before Marchbanks struck out the Raider batter stranding runners at second and third helping the Warriors keep hold of their one-run lead.

The visiting Raiders had another prime scoring chance in the top of the fifth inning with the bases loaded once again, but SOU had two outs this time when Corban got the final out via a shallow pop fly into left field that Pynch caught ending the scoring threat.

In the top of the sixth inning, Southern Oregon finally got on the board when Irene Barrantes hit her eighth home run of the season to lead off the inning just over the out-stretched arm of DeHart in left field to tie the game at 1-1.

Corban would answer with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning when Feb doubled to center field before coming home one batter later on Castronovo's game-winning single up the middle to put the home team up, 2-1. One batter later, Jackson singled down the left field line to bring home junior Emma Winckler (Eltopia, Wash.) after she reached base via a hit by pitch to put Corban up by two runs, 3-1.

Marchbanks and the Warriors' defense would shut down Southern Oregon in the seventh inning getting three straight outs en route to picking up the team's 21st win of the season.

DeHart and Jackson led Corban's offense with a pair of two-hit performances, while four other Warriors – Pynch, Feb, Winckler, and Castronovo – each registered a hit. Marchbanks went the distance for Corban en route to registering her team-leading 15th complete game of the season.

Barrantes went a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate for Southern Oregon with a run scored and one RBI, while Jordyn Kurtz and Brooke Springer each registered a hit for the Raiders. Kurtz went the distance for SOU allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits with a game-high tying two K's.

GAME #2 – CORBAN 11, SOUTHERN OREGON 3 (6 INNINGS)

In the finale, Corban quickly got on the board in the bottom of the first inning plating four runs on five hits beginning with a run-scoring single down the left field line by Conard that brought home Pynch. Feb would then bring home the Warriors' second run via a RBI single to left field that plated Nippert, while Winckler brought two runners home on a single down the right field line that scored Conard and Feb to put the home team up by four runs, 4-0, after the opening inning.

Southern Oregon would get two runs back in the top of the second inning when Emily Matekel ripped a two-run single up the middle that scored Melissa Corn and Karri Johnson following back-to-back singles with one out making the score 4-2.

In the bottom of the second inning, Corban scored three more runs when Conard ripped a bases loaded two-run single up the middle to bring home Jackson and Pynch before Feb lifted a sacrifice fly to center field that allowed DeHart to come home with the Warriors' seventh run.

Corban would add another run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Nippert jumped on the first pitch that she saw and belted her 17th home run of the season deep over the left field fence to put the Warriors up six runs (8-2).

In the top of the fifth inning, Southern Oregon would get one run back on a one-out solo home run by Barrantes over the center field fence to pull the visiting Raiders within five runs (8-3).

After a scoreless at-bat in the fifth inning, Corban came to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning and got back-to-back-to-back hits from DeHart, Nippert, and Conard to lead off the inning and put the Warriors up by six runs (9-3). One batter later, Winckler ended the game with a two-run single to right center that scored Nippert and freshman pinch runner Julia Quiring (Independence, Ore.) to give Corban an eight-run mercy rule victory (11-3).

Along with Conard's perfect performance at the plate, Nippert went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI. DeHart and Winckler collected two hits each, while four other Warriors – Pynch, Feb, Castronovo, and Jackson – registered a hit in the win. Wagner collected her sixth win of the season, while Marchbanks made her third appearances of the weekend.

Southern Oregon got a 2-for-3 performance from Barrantes with one run scored and one RBI, while Jessica Flores suffered the loss allowing four earned runs on four hits in a mere 0.1 innings of work.

With today's sweep, Corban improves to 22-15 overall and 14-8 in Cascade Collegiate Conference games. Meanwhile, Southern Oregon just about eliminated itself for the playoff picture after dropping both games today to fall to 18-19 overall and 14-10 in league play. The Warriors will close out their regular season on Thursday, April 28th, against nationally-ranked Concordia beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Warrior Field in Salem.

NOTE: Corban's three seniors – Marchbanks, Jessie Jones (Gladstone, Ore.), and Jennifer Kollaer (Albany, Ore.) – will be honored immediately following the conclusion of Thursday's double header against the rival Cavaliers.