COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Corban University softball team strolled off the fields of the South Commons Softball Complex in style, as the Warriors edged No. 13 Olivet Nazarene University, 4-3, before shutting down Lindenwood-Belleville University, 8-0, to claim the consolation final in the Silver Bracket of the NFCA Leadoff Classic. The Navy and Gold finished 3-3 at the tournament and improved to 14-4 on the season.
"The team played extremely well today, and I'm proud of them," said head coach Nathan Ohta. "It's been a tiring week, and we drew the early game today, but they came out with a lot of energy and played very good softball."
(RV) Corban 4, No. 13 Olivet Nazarene 3
If there's one thing Corban learned from the NFCA Leadoff Classic, it's that it can bounce back from tough losses, as the Warriors overcame misty conditions and pulled off a 4-3 upset over No. 13 Olivet Nazarene after being blanked by No. 11 Belhaven last night.
Corban was led by sophomore center-fielder Annie Owen (Corvallis, Ore.), as she went 2-for-4 on the dish and hit her third homer of the 2015 campaign. The Navy and Gold saw 1-for-3 efforts by both senior third baseman Kyrianna Sorensen (Salem, Ore.) and sophomore catcher Danielle Ackerman (Dallas, Ore.), while senior left-fielder Shelby Mauermann (Clackamas, Ore.) went 1-for-2 in the contest.
Junior pitcher Emily Buhrkuhl (Stockton, Calif.) collected her seventh victory on the circle, as she tossed for 6.2 innings and compiled eight strikeouts for the Navy and Gold.
The Warriors compiled a trio of runs in the bottom of the first frame, as Owen stole third and then advanced home thanks to a fielding error by the Comets to put Corban on the board. Sophomore first baseman Kylie Durre (Bend, Ore.) launched a sacrifice fly to bring home Ackerman, and then sophomore second baseman Anne Binschus (Gig Harbor, Wash.) scored off of Dorcas' fielder's choice to cap Corban's scoring in the inning. In the bottom of the second frame, Owen smashed a solo home run to left field to stretch the Navy and Gold's lead to four (4-0).
Buhrkuhl kept Olivet Nazarene scoreless until the top of the third, as the Comets registered a pair of runs to cut Corban's lead in half. The next three innings saw just two hits combined between the NAIA foes, but with two outs in the top of the seventh, senior first baseman Erika Tatum hit an RBI single to bring the Comets to within a run. However, Buhrkuhl remained composed in the circle, as she impelled a force out at third base to grant the Warriors their fourth top-25 victory of the season.
After the game, Buhrkuhl talked about the weather and her success in the circle.
(RV) Corban 8, Lindenwood-Belleville 0 (Five Innings)
For the first time at the tournament, Corban registered back-to-back triumphs, as the Warriors shutout Lindenwood-Belleville University, 8-0, in five innings. The Navy and Gold saw homers from both senior right-fielder RaeAnna Dorcas (Everett, Wash.) and freshman designated hitter Jaslyn Rush (Stockton, Calif.) en route to the consolation victory.
The Navy and Gold's bats were clicking on all cylinders, as Corban tallied 10 hits as a team in the five-inning affair. Owen batted 3-for-4 on the afternoon with three singles, while Durre swung for a 2-2 mark with two RBI. In addition to their home runs, Dorcas and Rush registered two RBI apiece.
While Corban's sluggers got the job done on the offensive end, the Warrior defense didn't have to fret, as freshman hurler Sabrina Boyd (Pleasant Hill, Ore.) held the Lynx to just four hits and struck out three batters, as she notched her first-career complete-game shutout in a Navy and Gold uniform.
The two teams were scoreless until the top half of the fourth, as the Warriors exploded for a seven-run frame. Dorcas doubled to left field to score Durre and put Corban on the board, and then junior designated hitter McCayla Hoffman (Bothell, Wash.) hit a ground out but scored Sorensen in the process. On Corban's next at-bat, Rush blasted a two-run homer to give Corban a four-run advantage, and then Durre's double put the Navy and Gold on top, 7-0.
Once Dorcas made contact at the plate in the top of the fifth inning, everyone in the ballpark knew the ball was a goner, as she blasted a homer to left field to give Corban an 8-0 lead. In the bottom half of the fifth, Boyd notched a strike out, a ground out, and a fly out to win the ballgame for the Navy and Gold.
After the game, Dorcas and Rush talked about their efforts on the dish.
"Our pitchers were great, our defense was very good, and we came up with some really clutch at-bats," commented Ohta. "Now we just need to take this momentum into tomorrow and have a strong finish to our trip."
The Navy and Gold returns to action tomorrow for a doubleheader against Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Ga. at 12 p.m. PST.
