EUGENE, Ore. – It was the tale of two dominant pitching performances in two separate games between the No. 23 Corban University softball team and Northwest Christian University, as the Beacons saw the first perfect game in school history on the way to a 10-0 victory over the Navy and Gold in game one, before junior hurler Danielle Horne (Vacaville, Calif.) led the Warriors to a 4-2 triumph in game two.
"Jill [Suratt] threw a good ball game against us in game one, and we found out what the teams in our conference are capable of if we don't come ready to go," stated head coach Nathan Ohta. "The girls responded with a lot of energy in game two, Dani Horne threw really well, and Raimee and Kyri came up with a couple clutch hits for us. Today will make us better as we get ready for this weekend."
Northwest Christian 10, No. 23 Corban 0 (Five Innings) – Game One
It was quite the eventful afternoon for Beacon pitcher Jill Suratt, as the senior held the Warriors hitless en route to registering the first perfect game in Northwest Christian school history. The ball game between the two Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) foes lasted a mere 50 minutes.
For Corban, it was the first time the Navy and Gold was held hitless since April 19, 2014, when The College of Idaho claimed a 9-0 victory in five innings. Just two balls left the infield for the Navy and Gold, as Suratt faced just 15 batters in her career-best performance.
In the circle, freshman hurler Sabrina Boyd (Pleasant Hill, Ore.) fell to 5-4 on the season after compiling three strikeouts and yielding seven earned runs.
The Beacons were fairly quiet offensively excluding the first and third innings. After the top of the lineup for the Warriors went hitless, the Beacons recorded four runs in the bottom of the first frame to take an early 4-0 lead. Then, in the third, Northwest Christian tallied six runs, including a three-run triple by senior shortstop Randi Kostner to put Corban out of reach.
No. 23 Corban 4, Northwest Christian 2 – Game Two
Behind Horne's performance in the circle and thanks to timely hits by sophomore pinch hitter Raimee Sluder (Longview, Wash.) and senior third baseman Kyrianna Sorensen (Salem, Ore.), Corban collected a 4-2 victory over Northwest Christian in game two.
Sorensen led the Warriors with a 3-for-4, one RBI effort at the dish, while Sluder went 1-for-1 with two RBI to tally Corban's first runs of the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Horne had one of her best performances of the season, as the righty held the Beacons to just six hits and two runs to keep Northwest Christian at bay.
Northwest Christian went back to Suratt in the circle in hopes of keeping Corban's bats dry, but the Warriors were finally able to notch a hit in the top of the second, as sophomore first baseman Kylie Durre (Bend, Ore.) belted a one-out single to center field.
Although the Navy and Gold's bats were slowly catching fire, Horne did her best to keep the Beacons tamed, as the righty held Northwest Christian to just two hits in the first three innings.
The Warriors broke their scoreless spell in the top of the fourth after Sluder ripped a two-run single to put Corban on the board, 2-0.
However, the Beacons bounced right back in the bottom half of the inning, as junior third baseman Parker Bonife launched a two-run homer to center field to knot the CCC affair at two apiece.
After Corban gathered just one hit in the fifth and sixth innings, Northwest Christian (12-30, 9-15 CCC) put runners on first and second with only one out. On the ensuing at-bat, the Beacons lined into a double play, as sophomore second baseman Anne Binschus (Gig Harbor, Wash.) caught a line drive and sent it over to Durre for the final out of the inning.
With two runners on in the seventh for the Navy and Gold, Sorensen stepped up and delivered an RBI single to center field to score senior pinch runner Shelby Mauermann (Clackamas, Ore.) and lift Corban to a one-run (3-2) advantage. Moments later, senior right-fielder RaeAnna Dorcas (Everett, Wash.) reached on a Beacon fielding error, and Binschus scored in the process to extend the Warriors' lead to two (4-2).
In the bottom of the seventh, Horne forced a lineout, flyout, and groundout to retire the side and lock up the 4-2 victory for Corban.
Despite dropping game one to Northwest Christian, the Warriors own a record of 23-3 against the Beacons dating back to 2010.
The Navy and Gold (33-13, 16-8 CCC) returns to action on Friday for a doubleheader against Northwest University in Salem, Ore. First pitch for game one is slated for 2 p.m. The following day, Corban will battle No. 17 Concordia on Senior Day at Warrior Field. First pitch in game one of the twinbill against the Cavaliers is set for 11 a.m.
