BOX SCORES – GAME #1 | GAME #2

CLACKAMAS, Ore. – On a windy, wet, and cold day in Clackamas County, Corban's No. 23-ranked softball team split a mid-morning double header with British Columbia, 2-3 & 10-1 in five innings, thanks to high-powered offense and superb pitching Friday at Hood View Park.

Following today's split, Corban is now 12-3 overall this season and British Columbia moves to 5-13-1 on the year.

On the afternoon, junior Brittany Chestnut led the Warriors with a combined 3-for-4 performance at the plate that included three runs scored. Meanwhile, five other Corban players – senior Emma Winckler, junior Stephanie Nippert, junior Liane DeHart, junior Rachel Conard, and junior Erica Fitzgerald – all collected two hits with Winckler hitting her sixth home run of the season and Fitzgerald belting her third round-tripper of the year.

GAME #1 – BRITISH COLUMBIA 3, CORBAN 2

In the opener, neither team could get much offense going until the top of the third inning when UBC put two runs on the board starting when Jesslyn Hodge ripped a single to right field that brought home Brittany Meyer from second base to give the visiting Thunderbirds their first run of the game. The very next batter – Cassandra Dypchey – roped a single up the middle to bring home Hodge after she advanced to second on an attempted play at the plate on Meyer, as British Columbia grabbed an early two-run lead (2-0).

Corban would get a golden opportunity in the bottom of the third inning to put some runs on the board, as freshman Shelby Mauermann led off with a bloop double to center field before Chestnut and Nippert walked to load the bases. Unfortunately for the Warriors, UBC's starting pitcher Nicole Day came up huge with an inning-ending strikeout that kept the high-scoring Warriors off the board.

In the top of the fourth, British Columbia would get a pair of back-to-back singles by Carlyn Shimizu and Molly Gosnell before Shimizu advanced to third two batters later on a fielder's choice. With two outs, a costly error by Corban's first baseman would keep the inning alive and allow Shimizu to score as UBC took a three-run lead (3-0).

Over the next seven combined at-bats by both teams, no runner would get past second base as British Columbia clung to its three-run lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.

With one at-bat remaining and trailing 3-0, Corban attempted to mount a comeback when senior Abbie Pynch drew a two-out walk before Chestnut ripped a ground-rule double down the left field line placing runners at second and third. The very next Warrior batter – junior Chynna Sandhop – would come up huge, as she roped a double to center field that scored both runners and pulled Corban within a single run (3-2). A walk to Nippert would load the bases for Corban, but Day came up huge once again getting the game's final batter to strikeout with the bases juiced to end the game.

Junior Amy Greenough went the distance for Corban allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits with three strikeouts.

Gosnell was the offensively leader for British Columbia, as she went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate. Meanwhile, Day went seven strong innings allowing two earned runs on eight hits to go along with a game-high 11 K's.

GAME #2 – CORBAN 10, BRITISH COLUMBIA 1 (5 INNINGS)

The finale would be a different story with Corban, as the Warriors put 10 unanswered runs on the board following a first inning RBI by Dypchey that scored Meyer and handed the visiting T-Birds an early 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the first inning, Corban would take advantage of four walks in the first five batters to tie the score (1-1) before the right-handed hitting Fitzgerald crushed a two-out grand slam to right field for an early four-run Warrior lead (5-1) after one inning of play.

Corban would put another run on the board in the bottom of the second inning when DeHart slapped an infield single to short that allowed Chestnut to score from third on a UBC error making the score 6-1 in favor of the home team.

With runs at a premium over the next two innings, Corban exploded for four more in the bottom of the fourth inning when DeHart and Nippert registered back-to-back singled before moving up a base on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Lounette Jackson. With runners on second and third and two outs, Winckler sent a no-doubt three-run home run over the right field fence that pushed the Warriors' lead to eight runs (9-1). Not wanting to stop the scoring, Sandhop would reach on a fielding error by UBC's shortstop before Fitzgerald singled down the right field line, as Sandhop came all the way around to score when the ball got away from a diving T-Bird outfielder moving the score to 10-1 in favor of Corban.

In the top of the fifth inning, British Columbia would face Winckler as the Thunderbirds got a single up the middle off the bat of Yasmin Bains but could not muster anymore offense in Corban's nine-run victory.

Freshman Jessica Slate went the opening four innings for Corban allowing one unearned run on two hits, while Winckler went the final inning allowing one hit to go along with a team-high one strikeout.

Meyer, Gosnell, and Bains were the only British Columbia batters to get hits, while Leigh Della Seigh and Alana Westerhof combined in the circle for the Thunderbirds allowing 10 runs (eight earned) on seven hits.

Corban will return to action on Tuesday, March 6th, against NCAA Division III member Lewis & Clark in a single seven-inning game beginning at 3:00 p.m. on Warrior Field in Salem.