BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 SALEM – Corban closed out its 2014 softball season on Saturday afternoon by sweeping Northwest Christian, 6-4 and 11-1 in five innings, in Cascade Collegiate Conference games played at Warrior Field.

With the two wins, the Warriors leapfrogged the Beacons in the conference standings. Corban (26-20 overall) finished in fifth place in the league standings with a 13-15 record, while Northwest Christian (13-26 overall) ended up 12-16.

"The girls came out today with a lot of intensity and I think that really speaks to their character," Corban head coach Nathan Ohta said. "We knew that we had been eliminated from postseason play, so we asked them to come out and play for the love of the game, for their teammates, and for our seniors. It was great to finish off the season with two wins, and to send our seniors off that way. Our seniors really came through big today, and it is just the way you want to see them close out their careers."
 
CORBAN 6, NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN 4

The visiting Beacons still had hopes of making the CCC postseason tournament and they played like a team in search of a playoff berth, taking a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning. That was when the Warriors scored five runs on four hits, including home runs from Lounette Jackson and Annie Owen.

Courtney Castronovo hit a solo blast well beyond the left field fence in the sixth inning, giving the Warriors an insurance run. NCU went quietly in the seventh inning and Corban had the win.

Pitcher Jill Suratt was at the center of her team's early success, keeping the home team off the scoreboard and at the same time accounting for runs with doubles each of her first two times at bat. She hit a leadoff double and scored on Chelsea Hannon's infield single in the second, and hit a double to drive in Gabby Stover in the fourth inning. When Parker Bonife followed with her 10th homer of the season, NCU held a 4-0 lead and Corban senior pitcher Jessica Slate was in trouble.

After that inning, however, Slate allowed just one more base runner who was promptly thrown out stealing by catcher Breonna Bejaran. Meanwhile, Slate's teammates rallied with the big five-run fourth inning that turned out to be the difference in the game.

Jackson led off with a home run to right field, her eighth round-tripper of the season, and after a McCayla Hoffman double, Owen hit a two-out, two-run homer to right. It was the freshman centerfielder's sixth home run this season.

That's when a sudden bout of wildness by Suratt completely changed the game. She hit pinch hitter Taylor Eilders and Kyrianna Sorensen, and after an infield single by Castronovo, she plunked Bejaran on the helmet to tie the score at 4-4. Relief pitcher Janieve Boyles then walked Jackson for the final run of the inning.

After that, Castronovo drove her 10th homer to account for the final score.

Slate improved her record to 6-4, allowing four runs on seven hits with no walks and two strikeouts. Suratt took the loss and is now 6-8 for the season.

Castronovo was 3-for-4 and Jackson was 2-for-3 with two RBI to lead the Warriors, while Suratt had two hits and two runs to lead the Beacons.

CORBAN 11, NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN 1 (5 innings)

The Beacons got on the board in the first inning on Randi Kostner's first home run of the season, but that was all the runs they would score.

On the other side, the Warriors put together a barrage of 11 runs on 11 hits. They scored six runs in the first, two in the second and their final three in the third inning.

In the first inning, Raeann Dorcas tied the score with her first home run of the year, and then a two-out error at first base following what should have been a third-out strikeout opened the door to five more Corban runs. Hoffman hit a two-run double, Aubrene Blas hit a RBI double, and Kylie Durre drove in another run with a single after the costly error.

In the second inning, Castronovo drove in a run with a single and Sorensen scored another on the back end of a double steal. That steal of home was Corban's 96th stolen base of the season, establishing by one a new single-season record. The old mark of 95 was set by the 2010 team.

An inning later, Dorcas drove in a run with a ground ball and Sorensen roped a double to left-centerfield to account for the final two runs.

Samantha Gutwig picked up the victory in the circle and improved her record to 9-6. She allowed six hits while striking out two in four innings of work. Danielle Horne threw the final inning and struck out one batter.

Sorensen had three hits and both Dorcas and Hoffman had two hits to lead Corban's offense, while Stover had two hits for the Beacons.

Following the game the four departing seniors – Castronovo, Jackson, Slate and Mallory Murphy – were honored by their teammates and fans.

"While the seniors we are sending off today have been a huge part of our success the last few years, the future of Corban softball is bright," Ohta said. "We had a very young team this year and will still be young next year. Looking back on this season we made huge strides forward and played some very good softball, especially the last few weeks. We have a great group of players coming back next year, and I think all the pieces are in place for us to have a few really good seasons in front of us."