CALDWELL, Idaho – Corban University head softball coach, Nathan Ohta, registered his 200th career-victory at the helm of the Warriors, as the Navy and Gold split its doubleheader with No. 21 The College of Idaho in its Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) opener on Friday afternoon.
"Reaching a milestone like this makes me think of all the young ladies I've coached that have helped build Corban Softball into a successful program," said Ohta. "You don't win 200 games without good players, and you don't have a program like we have today without having quality individuals with strong character and work ethic laying the foundation. I'm proud of all of them, and this really is their achievement."
Game One: No. 21 College of Idaho 5, (RV) Corban 1
In the first game of the twinbill, the Yotes snapped the Warriors' four-game winning streak, as the Navy and Gold left 11 runners stranded on base en route to the defeat.
Senior designated hitter RaeAnna Dorcas (Everett, Wash.) led Corban with a 3-for-4 effort on the dish, while both sophomore center-fielder Annie Owen (Corvallis, Ore.) and senior third baseman Kyrianna Sorensen (Salem, Ore.) went 2-for-3 in game one.
In the circle, junior hurler Emily Buhrkuhl (Stockton, Calif.) suffered her second loss of the 2015 campaign, as she notched two strikeouts and yielded five earned runs in five innings pitched. Meanwhile, freshman pitcher Sabrina Boyd (Pleasant Hill, Ore.) saw one inning of action and struck out one batter for the Navy and Gold.
College of Idaho got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first, as senior first baseman Alexis Macias hit an RBI single to left field to bring home freshman right-fielder Destiny Campbell. Corban had its chances to compile runs in the opening two innings, but the Navy and Gold left five runners stranded in the frames.
With a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning, College of Idaho junior pitcher Cortni Pena launched a homer that proved to be the dagger, as the three-run bomb granted the Yotes a commanding 5-0 advantage.
Corban plated its lone run in the top half of the seventh, as sophomore second baseman Anne Binschus (Gig Harbor, Wash.) mustered an RBI single to left field to bring home Owen. However, the Navy and Gold's rally proved too little, too late, as Pena gathered a strikeout and a fly out to secure her sixth victory in the circle for the Yotes.
Game Two: (RV) Corban 6, No. 21 College of Idaho 0
Corban swung for a little revenge and succeeded in game two, as the Warriors topped the Yotes, 6-0, for Ohta's 200th career-triumph. The Navy and Gold was led by the arm of junior pitcher Jessica Holsinger (Eagle, Idaho), as she registered six strikeouts and surrendered just two hits in her first-career shutout.
On the offensive side of things, Binschus went 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles for the Warriors, while junior designated hitter Jamie Costa (Tracy, Calif.) batted 1-for-2 with a team-high two RBI. In addition, Sorensen, sophomore left-fielder Kylie Durre (Bend, Ore.), and freshman first baseman Jaslyn Rush (Stockton, Calif.) each compiled an RBI for Corban.
The Warriors scored first in its quest for retaliation, as Sorensen swung for an RBI double to right field to bring home Owen and give Corban a 1-0 lead in the first frame. The Navy and Gold extended its advantage to three in the top of the third, as Costa hit an RBI single and then Dorcas scored on a wild pitch.
In the following frame, Corban piled on three more runs to put the game out of reach. Durre smacked an infield single to score sophomore catcher Danielle Ackerman (Dallas, Ore.), and with the bases loaded, Costa was hit by a pitch to put the Warriors ahead, 5-0. Moments later, Rush popped a sacrifice fly to bring home Durre and cap Corban's scoring in the inning.
Holsinger, who didn't surrender a hit until the fourth inning, picked up her fourth victory of the 2015 campaign for the Navy and Gold. For College of Idaho (9-13, 1-1 CCC), sophomore hurler Alex Kordopatis suffered her second loss in the circle.
"The girls played well again today against another top-25 opponent," said Ohta. "The first game we generated a lot of opportunities, but it was one of those games where things just didn't play out right for us to take advantage of them. We told the girls to stick to the approach and respond with a big effort in game two. They did that, we were able to come up with some big hits to put a few runs up, and Jess Holsinger threw a tremendous ballgame."
Corban (17-5, 1-1 CCC) returns to the dish tomorrow for a doubleheader against Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, Ore. First pitch is slated for 11 a.m.
Become a fan of Corban Athletics on Facebook
Follow Corban Athletics on Twitter @CorbanAthletics
Follow Corban Athletics on Instagram: corban_athletics
Watch Corban Warrior videos on Youtube: CorbanUAthletics
#WarriorNation
