BOX SCORES – GAME #1 | GAME #2

SALEM, Ore. – Junior Abbie Pynch (Stayton, Ore.) drove in the game-winning run in the opener and freshman Lounette Jackson (Escalon, Calif.) went a perfect 2-for-2 with a pair of home runs in the finale, as Corban's softball team secured the No. 2-seed in next week's playoffs with a sweep over rival Concordia, 6-5 & 10-2, Sunday at Warrior Field.

Pynch and fellow junior Emma Winckler (Eltopia, Wash.) registered a combined five hits on the afternoon, while sophomore Stephanie Nippert (Rocklin, Calif.) belted her team and conference-leading 18th home run of the season in the opener before Jackson placed two balls over the left field fence for the third and fourth home runs of the season in Game #2.

Senior Makenzie Marchbanks (Sweet Home, Ore.) went the distance for Corban in the opener allowing five runs (four earned) on 10 hits with a game-high one strikeout en route to collecting her team-leading 11th win of the season. In the finale, junior Brittany Wagner (Oregon City, Ore.) collected her seventh win of the year allowing a mere one hit in 3.0 innings of work before turning the ball over to Winckler for the final six outs.

GAME #1 – CORBAN 6, CONCORDIA 5

In the opener, Concordia scored two runs in the top of the first inning when Robin Gawlista drew a bases loaded walk before Amy Aicher ripped a run-scoring single to left field that put the visiting Cavaliers up by two runs (2-0).

Corban would knot the game at 2-all in the bottom of the third inning when sophomore Rachel Conard (Merlin, Ore.) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Pynch following her lead off single that cut the Warriors' deficit to one run (2-1). The very next batter – sophomore Tamara Feb (Oregon City, Ore.) – would tie the game at 2-2 on a fielder's choice RBI that scored fellow sophomore Liane DeHart (Kent, Wash.).

In the bottom of the fifth, Corban took a one-run lead (3-2) on a RBI single to right field by freshman Courtney Castronovo (Salem, Ore.) that plated Feb following her one out double to right field.

Concordia would retake the lead (5-3) in the top of the sixth inning before Nippert tied the game once again in the bottom of the sixth inning at 5-5 with her 18th home run of the season that tied the single-season Cascade Collegiate Conference record.

In the top of the seventh inning, Concordia would get a lead off double by Aicher before she advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Kydell Andrews to put the potential game-winning run 60 feet away from home plate. Fortunately for the Warriors, a short fly out to right field and a inning-ending fly out to left field would preserve the tie and set-up Pynch's game-winning heroics.

Sophomore Erica Fitzgerald (Beaverton, Ore.) would lead off the bottom of the seventh inning for Corban with a double to right center before Jackson singled to third allowing Fitzgerald to advance to third. Pynch would then step to the plate and ripped a single through the right side that plated Fitzgerald and sent the Warriors into a frenzy following their come-from-behind win (6-5).

Pynch would led Corban's offense with a 4-for-5 performance, while Nippert and Winckler each went 3-for-4 at the plate. Marchbank's team-best 16th complete game of the season would help the Warriors earn their 12th win of the season at home, while pushing Corban's win streak to three games.

Concordia was led offensively by Ali Paz with a perfect 3-for-3 showing, while Aicher registered three hits in four at-bats for the visiting Cavaliers. Jordyn Brown went the opening 4.1 innings allowing three earned runs on eight hits before giving way to Allison Gunter for 1.2 innings of work. Brown would return to the circle in the bottom of the seventh inning allowing one earned run on three hits en route to suffering the loss.

GAME #2 – CORBAN 10, CONCORDIA 2 (5 INNINGS)

In the finale, Corban would scored 10 unanswered runs with four coming off the bat of Jackson via her two home runs that led off the second inning and drove in three more runs in the third inning.

Concordia would finally get on the board in the top of the fourth inning on a two-run home run by Gawlista, but Corban's defense would be up to the task holding the high-scoring Cavalier offense at bay en route to picking up its program-best tying 24th win of the season.

Winckler and Jackson would lead Corban's offense with a pair of two-hit performances, while Conard drove in two runs for the Warriors. Wagner went the opening 3.0 innings for Corban allowing just one hit before Winckler went the final 2.0 innings allowing two earned runs on four hits.

Concordia was led at the plate by Paz with a 2-for-3 performance, while Bethany Dempster went the opening 1.0 innings allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits before turning the ball over to Brown for the final 3.0 innings.

With today's sweep, Corban improves to 24-15 overall and 16-8 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Meanwhile, Concordia falls to 22-14 overall and 15-9 in league games. The Warriors will now move onto the 2011 CCC Championship Series against the Cavaliers on Friday, May 6th, beginning at noon at the Softball Complex on the campus of Oregon Institute of Technology.

NOTE: Following the conclusion of today's double header that closed out Corban's home schedule, three seniors – Marchbanks, Jessie Jones (Gladstone, Ore.), and Jennifer Kollaer (Albany, Ore.) – were honored for the hard work and dedication to the program over the past four seasons.