BOX SCORES – GAME #1 | GAME #2

SALEM, Ore. – Corban's softball team combined to hit six home runs in a Cascade Collegiate Conference double header sweep over the visiting Raiders of Southern Oregon, 10-1 in five innings & 9-0 in six innings, to kick off a crucial weekend for the Warriors Friday at Warrior Field.

With today's wins, Corban improves to 23-9 overall and 8-6 in Cascade Collegiate Conference games. Meanwhile, Southern Oregon evens its overall win-loss record at 16-16 and falls to 6-8 in league play.

Corban was led offensively by a trio of Warrior juniors – Brittany Chestnut, Rachel Conard, and Stephanie Nippert – that had four-or-more hits each, while senior Abbie Pynch was 3-for-5 in the sweep. The six home runs for the Warriors came off the bats of Nippert, Conard, junior Erica Fitzgerald, junior Chynna Sandhop, sophomore Courtney Castronovo, and sophomore Lounette Jackson.

GAME #1 – CORBAN 10, SOUTHERN OREGON 1 (5 INNINGS)

In the opener, neither team would score until the bottom of the third inning when Corban put six runs on the board beginning with a solo home run by Nippert over the center field fence for her team-leading 15th long ball of the season. Four batters later, Fitzgerald put her sixth ball of the year over the fence when she sent a ball around the left field foul pole for a three-run blast that put the home team up by four runs (4-0). One batter later, Chestnut drove in Pynch with a RBI single up the middle to make the score 5-0 in favor of the Warriors. After a pitching change by Southern Oregon, Nippert registered her second RBI of the inning via a run-scoring single to left field that brought home Chestnut that capped the Warriors' scoring giving the home team a six-run advantage (6-0) after three innings of play.

Corban would put four more runs on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning thanks to a leadoff walk by senior Emma Winckler before she stole second and came home on a fielding error by the Raiders for a seven-run Warrior lead (7-0). Three batters later, Sandhop crushed a pinch-hit, three-run home run off the score board in left center to give Corban a 10-run lead (10-0) heading into the fifth inning.

Southern Oregon would finally get on the board in the top of the fifth inning when Jordyn Kurtz drew a bases loaded walk for the final margin of nine runs (10-1).

Nippert would lead Corban's offense with a perfect 4-for-4 showing at the plate with one run scored and two RBI, while Sandhop and Fitzgerald both were perfect at the plate with a 1-for-1 and 2-for-2 performance, respectively. Junior Amy Greenough went the distance for the Warriors allowing one earned run on six hits to go along with a game-high tying two strikeouts en route to picking up her 10th win of the season.

Southern Oregon was led offensively by Alyssa Miller with a perfect 3-for-3 showing, while Kurtz allowed six earned runs on 10 hits with a game-high tying two K's en route to suffering the loss. The Raiders' relievers Chelsea Talbert and Jessica Flores combined to pitch 1.1 innings allowing four runs (one earned) on three hits.

GAME #2 – CORBAN 9, SOUTHERN OREGON 0 (6 INNINGS)

In the finale, Corban would score runs in each of the final four innings beginning in the bottom of the second inning when Chestnut ripped a run-scoring single to left center allowing Castronovo to score after she drew a one-out walk.

Corban would push its lead to four runs (4-0) in the bottom of the third inning when Castronovo belted her third home run of the season – a three-run long ball – over the left field fence allowing Conard and Winckler to score.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Nippert would register a two-out double to left center before coming home on Conard's third home run of the season over the right center field fence for a six-run Warrior lead (6-0).

Corban would add another run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Sandhop lifted a sacrifice fly to right field that allowed Pynch to score after she registered a one-out single through the right side to push the home team's lead to seven runs (7-0).

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Conard would draw a walk to start the inning before Jackson deposited the third pitch that she saw over the left field fence for a game-ending two-run home run for the final score of 9-0.

Conard and Castronovo would lead the Warriors' bat-attack with a 2-for-2 and 2-for-3 performance, respectively, while junior Chelsea Schriber went the distance allowing a mere three hits with a game-high three strikeouts en route to picking up her seventh win of the season.

Southern Oregon would get a 2-for-3 showing from Brooke Springer, as Karlie Stephens suffered the loss despite a complete-game performance for the Raiders allowing nine runs (five earned) on 10 hits with one K.

Corban will return to action tomorrow – Saturday, April 14th – in a late-morning double header against the NAIA's No. 5-ranked Hustlin' Owls of Oregon Tech beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Warrior Field in Salem.