BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 SALEM – Kyrianna Sorensen belted her fifth home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth inning Saturday as Corban salvaged the second game of a Cascade Collegiate Conference softball doubleheader with College of Idaho at Warrior Field.

Nickayla Skinner threw the third no-hitter of her career in leading the visiting 'Yotes to a 9-0 five-inning victory in the first game. Sorensen's solo blast off of Skinner leading off the bottom of the eighth gave the host Warriors a 3-2 win in the second game.

The split keeps Corban's slim Cascade Collegiate Conference playoffs hopes alive. The Warriors, 24-18 overall, are 11-13 in the CCC, good for fifth place, three games behind fourth-place Southern Oregon in the loss column. Corban concludes its regular season next week with a Tuesday doubleheader at sixth-place Northwest Christian and a Saturday home twin bill against that same NCU team. Southern Oregon has six games remaining, all on the road.

College of Idaho, ranked No. 24 in the NAIA and now 25-13 overall, maintains its hold on third place in the conference with a 17-9 record.

COLLEGE OF IDAHO 9, CORBAN 0

To quote Corban head coach Nathan Ohta, "Today, everyone got to see why Nickayla Skinner is an All-American."

The senior right-hander simply dominated the Warriors in the first game, striking out 10 and allowing only three base runners on a walk and two hit batters. She improved her season record to 17-5 with the victory.

Only twice did Corban batters even threaten to get a hit. In the third, Annie Owens drove a long fly that left fielder Julia Henrie caught above the fence, and in the fourth Skinner made a diving catch of a short pop up off the bat of Breonna Bejaran.

"We talked a lot this week about our approach offensively in these two games, but she came out and handled us pretty good in game one," Ohta said.

Skinner got all the run support she needed in the first inning on solo home runs from Paige Gabiola, her fifth of the season, and from Destiny Turner, her second.

The 'Yotes scored three more runs in the second inning, highlighted by Gabiola's two-run double and Ashley Van Horne's RBI single, and they made it 7-0 in the third on an error and Kaci Baldwin's run-producing base hit.

Gabiola finished her impressive first game with a two-run single to right field in the fifth inning. She was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and five runs batted in. No other C of I player had more than one hit.

Jessica Holsinger pitched the first 2 1/3 innings and took the loss, dropping her record to 7-8.

CORBAN 3, COLLEGE OF IDAHO 2

Because Skinner threw only 78 pitches in the first game, she was back in the pitcher's circle for C of I in the second contest.

"I knew that when we weren't able to push that game the full seven innings we were going to see her again, and she was really good in game two also," Ohta said. "I give our girls a lot of credit because they really responded to the challenge I gave them after game one and really competed against her."

In fact, Corban out-hit College of Idaho, 7-4, with the final of those hits being Sorensen's decisive home run.

Skinner struck out the first five batters she faced in the second game before Lounette Jackson ended her dominance with a home run over the left field fence. It was senior's seventh home run of the season.

College of Idaho answered with a run in the top of the third when Gabiola was hit by a pitch, advanced to third on Van Horne's double and then scored on Jackson's error at third base.

Jackson was at the heart – or perhaps the head – of Corban regaining a one-run lead in the bottom of the fourth. With one out Jackson was hit in the helmet by Skinner's pitch, advanced to second on McCayla Hoffman's sacrifice bunt, and then scored when a pinch hit single by Raeann Dorcas was bobbled in left field.

Again C of I responded, tying the game in the top of the fifth when Hailey Chambers was hit by a bases-loaded pitch from Samantha Gutwig.

That was one of the few mistakes Gutwig made as she went the eight-inning distance to improve her record to 8-5. The sophomore right-hander struck out a career-high 10 while walking three, hitting two and giving up just four hits.

"Sam threw one of the best games of her career," Ohta said.

Corban had a chance to take the lead on a suicide squeeze in the bottom of the sixth inning but Skinner made a nice scoop toss with her glove to get pinch runner Danielle Ackerman at the plate.

In the top of the eighth, the 'Yotes put runners on second and first with one out when Ashley Wardrop, playing in just her third game of the season in place of Jackson at third base, made a backhand grab of Gabiola's line drive and then threw to first for the double play.

That brought the game to the bottom of the eighth for Sorensen's game-inning at bat that almost didn't happen. She was at the plate in the seventh inning and popped up for what appeared to be the final out, but Shelby Mauermann was judged to have left the first base bag too early on a steal attempt. College of Idaho elected to take Mauermann's play as the final out, giving Sorensen a chance to win the game with one swing in the eighth. And that is what happened.

Sorensen had two hits to lead Corban's offense, while Katie Rowe had a pair of singles for the 'Yotes.