BOX SCORES – CORBAN V. BIOLA | CORBAN V. WILLIAM JESSUP | CORBAN V. CONCORDIA-IRVINE

REDDING, Calif. – Corban's No. 23-ranked softball team opened the 2012 Simpson University Invitational with three wins in three games that included an upset extra-inning win over No. 8-ranked Concordia-Irvine Friday at Big League Dreams Park in Northern California.

After earning a double header split with California Pacific Conference member Menlo on Thursday, the Warriors traveled four hours north to Redding for the annual 16-team Simpson University Invitational for six games in two days.

GAME #1 – CORBAN 1, BIOLA 0

In the opener, Corban and Biola were locked in a pitcher's dual over the opening six-plus innings with the two teams combined for six hits.

In the top of the seventh inning, before junior Brittany Chestnut registered a two-out single to center field before advancing to second via a stolen bases. After an infield single by junior Liane DeHart that moved Chestnut to third, junior Stephanie Nippert ripped a RBI single to center field to bring home the eventual game-winning run.

Biola's last at-bat would send three hitters to the plate with all three Eagles going down, as Corban's junior pitcher Amy Greenough got a pair of fly outs and a game-ending strikeout for the hard-fought 1-0 victory.

Chestnut would lead the Warriors' offense with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, while Nippert turned in a two-hit showing. Greenough went the distance for Corban allowing no runs on one hits to go along with six strikeouts.

Biola was led at the plate by Sam Roberts with a pinch-hit base-knock for the Eagles' only hit, while Sarah Enriquez went the distance in the circle allowing one earned run on eight hits to go along with a game-high 13 K's.

GAME #2 – CORBAN 12, WILLIAM JESSUP 2

The second game would see the Warriors' bats come alive, as junior Chynna Sandhop turned in a three-hit performance that included her first home run – a grand slam – as a member of Corban's team and a squad-high five runs batted in.

Corban would score six unanswered runs over the opening four innings with the first two runs coming in the top of the first inning via a RBI single by senior Emma Winckler that brought home Nippert.

In the second inning, Corban would get a pair of runs of run-scoring hits by junior Erica Fitzgerald and senior Abbie Pynch to extend the lead to 3-0.

Winckler would add her second RBI of the game in the top of the third when she led off with a solo home run that extended the Warriors' lead to four runs (4-0).

In the top of the fourth inning, Corban would get RBI hits from Sandhop and DeHart that pushed its lead to six runs (6-0).

William Jessup would finally get on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning when Alannah Johns and Tuma Enos drove in a pair of runs to bring the WJU Warriors within four runs (6-2).

Unfortunately for William Jessup, Corban would answer with a six-run top of the seventh inning highlighted by Sandhop's grand slam that capped the scoring and pushed the Warriors' lead to 10 runs (12-2).

Freshman pitcher Jessica Slate would earn her second victory in two days with a six-inning performance allowing two unearned runs on six hits with a game-high four strikeouts before turning the ball over to Greenough for the final three outs.

William Jessup would get a hit from six different players, while Emily Buhrkuhl went the opening 3.2 innings allowing six earned runs on 10 hits before giving way to Andrea Lutz for the final 3.1 innings of work.

GAME #3 – CORBAN 4, CONCORDIA-IRVINE 3 (8 INNINGS)

In Friday's finale, Corban went head-to-head with the NAIA's No. 8-ranked Concordia-Irvine and scored four unanswered runs over the final three innings en route to upsetting the nationally-ranked Eagles.

Nippert would lead the Warriors' offense with a 3-for-5 performance that included the game-tying home run and game-winning single, while four other Corban players – Chestnut, Sandhop, junior Rachel Conard, and sophomore Courtney Castronovo – all registered a pair of hits.

Concordia-Irvine would score the game's opening three runs with Alyssa Erickson starting things off with a leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the second inning before Emily Craig singled home another CUI run in the bottom of the four inning to make the score 2-0. Concordia-Irvine's Jenna Jorgenson would cap the Eagles' scoring in the bottom of the fifth inning via a RBI single to left field that handed CUI a three-run advantage (3-0).

In the top of the sixth inning, Corban finally got on the board when Castronovo led off with a solo home run before sophomore Lounette Jackson brought home freshman pinch runner Shelby Mauermann two batters later with a ground out to right field that pulled the Warriors within a single run (3-2).

One inning later, Nippert would tie the game with one swing on a leadoff home run to start the seventh inning that knotted the game at 3-3. The Warriors would load the bases with two outs, but could not get the go-ahead run across the plate as Concordia-Irvine did not score in its half of the seventh inning to force extra play.

Using the international tie-break rule that placed a runner on second base to start the inning, Corban began the eighth inning when Chestnut singling to third base and then stealing second to put runners on second and third with no outs. Following a CUI strikeout, Nippert roped a single to right center that brought home Pynch to put the Warriors up by a single run (4-3).

Concordia-Irvine would also take advantage of the international tie-breaker, as the Eagles loaded the bases following a walk to Brieana Eckel with one out. Fortunately for Corban, Concordia-Irvine could not capitalize thanks to a fly out and game-ending strikeout by Greenough for the upset victory.

Greenough would go the distance for her second win of the day to improve to 2-0 on the season allowing three earned runs on seven hits to go along with eight strikeouts.

For Concordia-Irvine, Jorgenson would go 3-for-4 at the plate to go along with an outstanding pitching performance by Katie Cotta allowing two earned runs over 6.0 innings of work to go along with a game-high 12 K's. CUI's Brittani McGue would suffer the heart-breaking loss pitching the seventh and eighth innings for the Eagles allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits, while striking out five Corban batters.

With today's victories, Corban improves to 4-1 on the season and will return to the diamond tomorrow – Saturday, February 11th – for the second and final day of the Simpson University Invitational beginning at 11:30 a.m. against tournament-host Simpson at Big League Dreams Park in Redding.