COLUMBUS, Ga. – The (RV) Corban University softball team saw its 10-game winning streak come to an end on Friday afternoon, as the Warriors dropped their first two games in pool play at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. Corban was overwhelmed by No. 11 Belhaven University in five innings, 9-0, before losing a heartbreaker to Ave Maria University in eight innings, 7-5.
"Today was the kind of day every team is going to have over the course of a 60-game season," said head coach Nathan Ohta. "We didn't have our best stuff today, but we still generated a lot of opportunities against some quality pitching."
No. 11 Belhaven (Miss.) 9, (RV) Corban 0 (Five Innings)
Corban only registered five hits in a five-inning defeat to the Blazers of Belhaven in its first game of the day. The Warriors had chances to score in the first inning with the bases loaded and again in the fifth frame with two runners in scoring position, but the Navy and Gold couldn't get over the dry spell.
Sophomore catcher Danielle Ackerman (Dallas, Ore.) paced Corban with a 2-for-3 effort, while both designated hitter McCayla Hoffman (Bothell, Wash.) and sophomore second baseman Aubrene Blas (Sparks, Nev.) went 1-for-2 on the dish. The Navy and Gold's only other hit came from senior third baseman Kyrianna Sorensen (Salem, Ore.), as she tallied a 1-for-3 mark in the losing effort.
Junior pitcher Emily Buhrkuhl (Stockton, Calif.) suffered her first loss in a Warrior uniform, as she surrendered six earned runs in the first two frames. She also collected a pair of strikeouts while in the circle for the Warriors.
Corban saw efforts from two other pitchers, as junior hurler Danielle Horne (Vacaville, Calif.) allowed just one hit in three innings, while freshman pitcher Sabrina Boyd (Pleasant Hill, Ore.) saw action in the bottom of the fourth frame.
In the top of the first inning, it looked as if Corban had picked up right where it left off in its doubleheader-sweep over Point University yesterday, as Ackerman hit a one-out single to get on base. The Warriors went on to load the bases with two outs, but Corban launched a fly out on its next at-bat to end the frame.
Belhaven did most of its damage in the second and third innings, as the Blazers compiled seven runs and six hits in the two frames to build a 6-0 lead.
Trailing 9-0 in the top of the fifth, Corban had a chance to keep the game alive, as the Navy and Gold put two runners in scoring position with only one out, but sophomore pitcher Julienne Broussard kept the Warriors at bay, as she collected two quick outs to retire the side and snap Corban's 10-game winning streak.
Ave Maria (Fla.) 7, (RV) Corban 5 (Eight Innings)
While game one was cut short for Corban, game two at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., required extra innings, as the Warriors couldn't rally from a four-run deficit and fell to the Gyrenes of Ave Maria, 7-5. The Navy and Gold left nine runners stranded on base in the defeat.
Ackerman continued her consistent offensive play with a 2-for-4 effort on the dish, while sophomore second baseman Anne Binschus (Gig Harbor, Wash.) went 1-for-3 and launched a two-run home run in the first inning to keep Corban close. Meanwhile, freshman first baseman Jaslyn Rush (Stockton, Calif.) batted 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Junior pitcher Jessica Holsinger (Eagle, Idaho) suffered her first loss of the 2015 campaign, as she compiled eight strikeouts and allowed nine hits and seven earned runs.
After Corban dug itself an early 3-0 hole, Binschus hit a two-run bomb to center field in the bottom of the first inning to bring home Ackerman and pull the Warriors within one run.
The Navy and Gold played catch up until the bottom of the fourth, as Rush grounded out to first base but scored sophomore left-fielder Kylie Durre (Bend, Ore.) in the process.
Although Holsinger held the Gyrenes scoreless and allowed just one hit in the next three innings, Corban had trouble generating offense of its own. The Warriors had a chance in the bottom of the sixth, as Durre advanced to third with one out thanks to a single by Hoffman, but senior hurler Cheyenne Benson struck out Corban's next two batters to retire the side.
After the Gyrenes exploded for four runs in the top of the eighth frame, the Warriors loaded the bases with just one out in the books. Sophomore center-fielder Annie Owen (Corvallis, Ore.) proceeded to launch an easy pop-up, but the Ave Maria second baseman dropped it, allowing both Rush and Hoffman to score and cut the deficit to two. However, Corban's comeback bid eventually came up short, as Ave Maria held on for the 7-5 triumph.
"We just couldn't quite capitalize on the chances we had," commented Ohta. "Today was another part of the process of moving toward where we want to be by the end of the season, and we are excited to get back after it tomorrow."
The Warriors (11-3) return to the dish tomorrow for their final game in pool play of the NFCA Leadoff Classic, as the Navy and Gold will battle No. 19 William Woods University at 9:30 a.m. PST. Following the contest, Corban will learn which championship bracket (Gold, Silver, Copper) it will compete in.
