SALEM, Ore. – The (RV) Corban University softball team erased a five-game losing skid to (RV) Southern Oregon University on Friday afternoon, as the Navy and Gold utilized an errorless defensive effort and compiled five home runs in the doubleheader sweep over the Raiders. Corban won both contests in six innings due to the mercy rule, recording a 10-2 victory in game one, followed by an 11-2 triumph in game two.

"Southern Oregon is a very good team, and they are off to a great start this year, so those were two very big wins for us," said head coach Nathan Ohta. "The girls had it firing on all cylinders today, and even as their coach that sees them every day and knows what they are capable of, I was impressed, and couldn't be more pleased with their effort and intensity."

 (RV) Corban 10, (RV) Southern Oregon 2 – Six Innings

Thanks to a concerted attack on the offensive end and a solid effort in the circle, Corban collected a six-inning triumph over Southern Oregon in game one, 10-2.

It was senior third baseman Kyrianna Sorensen (Salem, Ore.) who led the way for the Navy and Gold, as she went 2-for-3 with three runs, including the game-ending solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Sophomore catcher Danielle Ackerman (Dallas, Ore.) posted a 3-for-4 effort and compiled two RBI at the dish, while sophomore center-fielder Annie Owen (Corvallis, Ore.), sophomore left-fielder Kylie Durre (Bend, Ore.), and freshman first baseman Jaslyn Rush (Stockton, Calif.) each notched a hit and an RBI in the winning effort.

Junior pitcher Emily Buhrkuhl (Stockton, Calif.), who has already surpassed the win total for any Corban pitcher from last season, collected her 11th victory of the 2015 campaign, as she tallied one strikeout and held the Raiders to only two runs.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom half of the second, Sorensen smacked a leadoff double for Corban's first hit of the afternoon. After senior RaeAnna Dorcas (Everett, Wash.) reached base on a walk, Durre popped a sac bunt to put two Warriors in scoring position. With the bases loaded, Rush belted an RBI single to right field to tie the game at one apiece.

The Navy and Gold took its first lead of the game in the third frame, as Ackerman used her quickness to steal home. Southern Oregon, however, managed to tie the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) affair in the fifth inning, as Buhrkuhl yielded just her third homer of the year.

But the ball game didn't remain tied for long, as the Warriors exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to pull away. Owen started the offensive drive with a solo home run, and then Ackerman followed with a double to left center, forcing Southern Oregon to replace senior pitcher Cheyenne Bricker in the circle. 

Leading 2-1 with the bases loaded, Durre delivered an RBI single, and then Sorensen scored on a fielding error to extend Corban's advantage to three (4-1). With the bases still loaded, Southern Oregon surrendered two more runs thanks to two-straight walks, and then Ackerman drove home two more runs with an infield single to cap Corban's seven-run inning.

After Buhrkurl forced three quick outs in the top half of the sixth, Sorensen launched a leadoff homer to end the ball game due to the mercy rule, and the Warriors celebrated a 10-2 victory.

Senior designated hitter Megan Scherer led the Raiders with a 2-for-3 effort with one RBI, while freshman third baseman Kristin Ahern knocked one out of the park en route to a 1-for-3 mark. In the circle, Bricker suffered her third loss of the season, as she compiled four strikeouts and yielded five earned runs.

(RV) Corban 11, (RV) Southern Oregon 2 – Six Innings

Although the rain poured down, the Corban offense refused to let up, as the Warriors registered 10 hits and three homers in an 11-2 win over the Raiders in game two.

The Navy and Gold was led by sophomore second baseman Anne Binschus (Gig Harbor, Wash.), as she swung for a 2-for-4 mark with four RBI, including a three-run bomb in the sixth to end the ball game. Corban also saw homers by Sorensen and junior designated hitter Jamie Costa (Tracy, Calif.), as they both finished with three RBI in the CCC matchup.  

Junior pitcher Jessica Holsinger (Eagle, Idaho) threw for her fifth triumph of the 2015 campaign, as she struck out six batters and gave up only three hits.

After Corban scored on a Southern Oregon fielding error in the second inning, the Warriors swung for five runs in the third frame to put the Raiders away. With two runners on, Sorensen belted a long bomb to left field for her second homer of the day, and then Costa followed with a two-run homer of her own to give the Navy and Gold a 6-0 lead.

The Raiders fired back with two runs in the top of the fourth and threatened to add to the damage with the bases loaded, but Holsinger forced a two-out groundout to escape Southern Oregon's rally cry.

In the bottom of the fourth frame, Binschus mustered an RBI double to right center to drive home Ackerman and extend Corban's lead to five (7-2), and then Costa smacked an RBI single in the fifth inning to grant the Navy and Gold a six-run (8-2) advantage.

Just two runs away from ending the game in the sixth inning, Corban put two runners on with zero outs. Moments later, Binschus delivered the long ball, as she homered to right center to put the finishing touches on an 11-2 victory for the Warriors. 

Offensively, Southern Oregon (20-12, 1-3 CCC) was led by sophomore left-fielder Tyler Burke's 2-for-2 effort at the dish. The Raiders' only other hit came from senior second baseman Gina Ayala. In the circle, junior pitcher Sydney White fell to 4-6 on the season, as she surrendered 10 earned runs in the defeat. 

After the game, Ackerman and Owen spoke with the Sports Information Office about the dominant sweep.

Corban (23-5, 7-1 CCC) returns to Warrior Field tomorrow for a critical CCC doubleheader against No. 13 Oregon Tech. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.