BOX SCORES – GAME #1 | GAME #2

EUGENE, Ore. – Corban's No. 17-ranked softball team won its 30th game for the first time in program history, as junior Stephanie Nippert broke the single-season school and conference record with her 20th home run of the season in the Warriors' double header sweep over rival Northwest Christian, 13-3 & 8-5, Saturday at James Park.

With today's victories, Corban improves to 30-10 overall and 15-7 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. The Warriors are now within 2½ games of first-place and No. 7-ranked Oregon Tech, as the Hustlin' Owls have two games left against Concordia and are trailing 3-0 against Southern Oregon in a rain delayed contest. Meanwhile, Northwest Christian falls to 8-31 overall and 4-16 in league games.

On the afternoon, three Warriors – senior Abbie Pynch, junior Brittany Chestnut, and junior Rachel Conard – registered four hits each with senior Emma Winckler, Nippert, and junior Chynna Sandhop tallying three hits each. Another trio of Warriors – junior Erica Fitzgerald, sophomore Courtney Castronovo, and sophomore Lounette Jackson – registered two hits each, while Conard belted her seventh home run of the season to go along with a team-high five runs batted in.

GAME #1 – CORBAN 13, NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN 3

In the opener, Corban would jump on the scoreboard quickly. A one-out single to right field by Sandhop was followed up by a double to right center by Nippert before both runners moved up on a pass ball that included Sandhop scoring the game's opening run. After Conard was hit by a pitch, Jackson lifted a sacrifice fly to center field that allowed Nippert to score giving the visiting Warriors a 2-0 lead.

Northwest Christian would get one run back in the bottom of the first inning, as the Beacons loaded the bases before a pass ball allowed Laynee Bevens to score making the score 2-1 in favor of Corban.

The visiting Warriors would get that run back in the top of the second inning when Fitzgerald drew a leadoff walk before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Liane DeHart and moving to third on a wild pitch. With Fitzgerald on third, Pynch singled to right field to bring home the junior infielder that put Corban up by two runs (3-1) and forced a NCU pitching change.

In the bottom of the second inning, Northwest Christian would pull within a single run (3-2) on a RBI single to left field by Amanda Reiss allowing Ally Mittleider to score from third.

Corban would put three more runs on the board in the top of the fourth inning when Conard ripped a two-run single up the middle with the bases loaded to bring home Pynch and Sandhop. The very next batter – Jackson – would rope a single to right field allowing Nippert to score, as Corban secured a four-run lead (6-2).

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Northwest Christian pulled within three runs (6-3) on Reiss' second RBI of the game via a single back to the pitcher that allowed Chelsea Hannon to score.

Neither team would score again until the top of the seventh inning when Corban exploded for seven runs on seven hits. Conard would start the at-bat with a double down the right field line before Winckler ripped a run-scoring double to left field one batter later to plate the Warriors' seventh run. Three batters later, Pynch registered a bases loaded single up the middle that scored Winckler. After a strikeout, Sandhop ripped a two-run double to left field to bring home Fitzgerald and DeHart. The Warriors' very next batter – Nippert – would then tie the single-season school and conference record for home runs with one swing of the bat, as she crushed a three-run round-tripper to left field putting Corban up by 10 runs (13-3).

Northwest Christian would get a single by Brooke Davis in the bottom of the seventh inning, but could not muster a run ending the game with a 10-run loss.

Pynch would lead Corban's offense with a 3-for-4 showing, while five other Warriors – Sandhop, Nippert, Conard, Winckler, and Castronovo – tallied two hits each. Junior Amy Greenough went the distance for Corban allowing three runs (two earned) on 10 hits to go along with a game-high seven strikeouts.

Northwest Christian was led offensively by Reiss with a 3-for-4 showing to go along with a pair of RBI, while Davis went the opening 3.1 innings allowing 10 runs (eight earned) on 10 hits with five K's before a pair of Beacon relievers – Jenna Royce and Kalyssa Koontz – combined to allow three unearned runs on six hits.

GAME #2 – CORBAN 8, NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN 5

In the finale, Corban would score two runs in the top of the first inning on a record-breaking, two-run home run by Nippert after a leadoff single by Chestnut up the middle. As the visiting Warriors took a two-run lead (2-0), Nippert became the first player in Corban and Cascade Collegiate Conference history to hit 20-or-more home run and also became only the second player this season in the NAIA to eclipse the 20-home run mark. Nippert also moved within one home run of tying the all-time CCC career mark held by OIT's Amanda Dougherty, as the junior outfielder now has 50 career home runs.

Northwest Christian would pull within a single run (2-1) in the bottom of the first inning, as Reiss led off with a solo home run over the left field fence.

In the top of the second inning, Corban would load the bases with one out on back-to-back-to-back singles off the bats of Pynch, Chestnut, and Sandhop. Nippert would then step to the plate, as she crushed a ball to center field only to have NCU's outfielder rob her of the 21st home run this year even though she would register a RBI via a sacrifice fly that scored Pynch from third. On the very next pitch, Conard would put the Warriors up by five runs (6-1) via a three-run home run over the right center field fence for her seventh long ball of the season. After a single to left field by Jackson, Winckler belted a run-scoring double to left field that allowed Jackson to score all the way from first for a six-run Corban lead (7-1) The visiting Warriors would cap their scoring, as Fitzgerald reached on a fielding error by NCU that allowed Winckler to score from second putting Corban up by seven-runs (8-1).

The host Beacons would put their second run of the game on the board in the bottom of the second inning when Hannon was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded allowing Mittleider to score bringing Northwest Christian within six runs (8-2).

Northwest Christian would get another run in the bottom of the third inning when Jazzmyne Villaruel registered an infield single that allowed Megan Mazanec to score and pulled the Beacons within five runs (8-3).

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Davis would bring Northwest Christian within three runs (8-5) with a two-run home run to left field after the inning was extended on a failed pickoff attempt by Corban.

Neither team would muster much offense over the next three innings until Northwest Christian put runners on second and third with no outs forcing a pitching change by Corban. After a hit by pitch loaded the bases, Greenough struck out the final two NCU batters to preserve the three-run victory (8-5).

Chestnut would lead Corban's offense with a three-hit performance, while Conard tallied two hits in the victory. Junior Chelsea Schriber would tally her 11th win of the season allowing five runs (two earned) on seven hits in 4.0 innings of work before freshman Jessica Slate allowed just three hits in 2.0 innings of work with a game-high three strikeouts. Greenough would come into the game and get the final three outs en route to earning her second save of the season.

Three Northwest Christian players – Davis, Mazanec, and Villaruel – registered two hits each, while Royce went the distance allowing eight runs (seven earned) on 11 hits with a pair of K's.

Corban will wrap up the regular season on Friday, April 27th, against the visiting Cavaliers of Concordia with a mid-afternoon double header beginning at 2:00 p.m. on Warrior Field in Salem.