COLUMBUS, Ga. - On day two of the NFCA Leadoff Classic, the Corban University softball team upended No. 19 WIlliam Woods University, 2-1, in its final contest of pool play before falling to No. 11 Belhaven, 8-0, in the opening round of the Silver Bracket on Saturday evening.

(RV) Corban 2, No. 19 William Woods 1

After dropping its first two games at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, the Navy and Gold returned to the dish determined to make a statement, as the Warriors muscled past No. 19 William Woods, 2-1, in its final game of pool play action. The upset marked Corban's third top-25 triumph this season.

Sophomore second baseman Anne Binschus (Gig Harbor, Wash.) led the Warriors with a 1-for-3 mark, including a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning that proved to be the difference in the game. Meanwhile, sophomore catcher Danielle Ackerman (Dallas, Ore.) and senior third baseman Kyrianna Sorensen (Salem, Ore.) registered two hits apiece for the Navy and Gold.

After the game, Binschus talked about her second homer of the classic.



Junior pitcher Emily Buhrkuhl (Stockton, Calif.) returned to her winning ways against the Owls, as she compiled five strikeouts en route to collecting her sixth victory of the 2015 campaign.

In a game where the Warriors only tallied five hits, Binschus launched the one that mattered most, as the Lower Columbia College transfer smashed a two-run home run to left field to give Corban a 2-0 lead.

William Woods cut Corban's lead to one (2-1) in the top of the third after it scored on a fielding error by the Navy and Gold, but Buhrkuhl's consistency in the circle held the Owls to a one-run inning.

The Owls threatened to rally in the fifth and sixth innings, as they placed runners on first and second with two outs in both frames, but Buhrkuhl forced fly outs in each situation to quiet William Woods' momentum, and the Warriors held on for the 2-1 triumph.

"We faced some very good competition again today, and the girls pulled out a big win against another top-25 team," stated head coach Nathan Ohta.

No. 11 Belhaven 8, (RV) Corban 0 (Six Innings)

The Navy and Gold's rematch against No. 11 Belhaven nearly mirrored its loss to the Blazers on Friday afternoon, as the Warriors were shutout in six innings of play in the opening round of the Silver Bracket.

Corban notched just two hits in the defeat, as senior pinch hitter Shelby Mauermann (Clackamas, Ore.) and senior right-fielder RaeAnne Dorcas (Everett, Wash.) collected hits in their only at-bats.

Freshman hurler Sabrina Boyd (Pleasant Hill, Ore.) fell to 1-2 on the season, as she had two strikeouts and yielded a trio of earned runs in three innings of play. The Warriors also saw action from junior pitcher Danielle Horne (Vacaville, Calif.), as she tallied a strikeout and surrendered only one hit in 2.1 innings.  

While Belhaven registered seven runs in two innings combined in yesterday's game, the Blazers showed they could do just the same in a single frame, as they exploded for seven runs in the top of the first to put Corban away early.

"The experience we are getting against some of the best competition in the country is going to be huge for us as we move into conference play," commented Ohta.

Corban (12-4) will have yet another chance to knock off a top-25 opponent tomorrow, as the Warriors will battle No. 13 Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) at 6 a.m. PST. To view all of the brackets of the NFCA Classic, click here.