BOX SCORE

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Sophomore Stephanie Nippert (Rocklin, Calif.) etched her name in the Cascade Collegiate Conference record books belting her 19th home run of the season, but Corban's softball team dropped the CCC Championship Series opener to nationally-ranked Oregon Tech, 5-1, Friday at OIT's Softball Complex.

Trailing by five runs in the top of the seventh inning, Nippert led off the frame by taking the first pitch that she saw from CCC Pitcher of the Year, Jackie Imhof, over the center field fence and made history setting a new single-season mark in the conference with her 19th long ball of the season.

Four different Warriors – junior Abbie Pynch (Stayton, Ore.), junior Emma Winckler (Eltopia, Wash.), Nippert, and sophomore Tamara Feb (Oregon City, Ore.) – registered each of Corban's hits on the afternoon. Senior Makenzie Marchbanks (Sweet Home, Ore.) went the opening 3.1 innings allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits before handing the ball to junior Brittany Wagner (Oregon City, Ore.) for the final 2.2 innings of the game.

Oregon Tech would get on the board in the bottom of the first inning when Andria Wheatley singled to left field before Ashleigh Larson ripped a triple to right field that hopped over a diving Corban outfielder to put the host Owls up by a single run (1-0). The very next batter – Jess Plummer – would lift a sacrifice fly to center field to bring home Larson putting OIT up by two runs (2-0) after the opening inning.

Three innings later, Oregon Tech added two more runs on a run-scoring hit by Bree Larson that scored Plummer before Taylor Schmidt came home on a throwing error by Corban that handed the host Owls a four-run lead (4-0).

In the bottom of the sixth inning, OIT's Brittany Cherry led off the frame with a solo home run over the center field fence that increased Oregon Tech's lead to five runs (5-0) en route to setting up Nippert's record-breaking hit in the top of the seventh inning.

Eight-of-nine Oregon Tech hitters – Shauna Collins, Wheatley, Ashleigh Larson, Plummer, Cherry, Schmidt, Bree Larson, and Kayda Schaefer – registered a hit against Corban pitching, while Imhof went the distance allowing one earned run on four hits with a game-high 10 strikeouts.

With today's result, Corban falls to 25-16 overall and Oregon Tech improves to 34-12 on the season. Both teams will return to the diamond tomorrow – Saturday, May 7th – for Game #3 of the 2011 CCC Tournament beginning at noon at OIT's Softball Complex.
 
NOTE: The Hustlin' Owls can clinch the conference's automatic berth to the NAIA Softball Championships with a win in the opening game, while Corban needs to sweep tomorrow's double header in order to secure its first-ever trip to the national tournament.