SALEM, Ore. – The seesaw rivalry between the No. 23 Corban University softball team and No. 17 Concordia University continued on Saturday afternoon, as the Warriors split their doubleheader with the Cavaliers on Senior Day, moving the series record between the two Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) schools to 10-10 dating back to 2012. After Concordia blanked Corban in game one, 2-0, the Navy and Gold battled back with a 3-2 triumph in game two.
No. 17 Concordia 2, No. 23 Corban 0 – Game One
Concordia shutout Corban in game one, 2-0, and the Warriors lost the first ball game of their CCC twinbill for the fourth time in the last five series. The Navy and Gold left eight runners stranded in the defeat.
Corban saw two hits apiece by junior designated player Jamie Costa (Tracy, Calif.), sophomore second baseman Anne Binschus (Gig Harbor, Wash.), and senior right-fielder RaeAnna Dorcas (Everett, Wash.). The Warriors' other hit came from sophomore second baseman Kylie Durre (Bend, Ore.), as she finished the afternoon 1-for-3.
In the circle, junior pitcher Emily Buhrkuhl (Stockton, Calif.) recorded three strikeouts and surrendered seven hits for her sixth loss of the 2015 campaign.
Concordia was led by sophomore center-fielder Meghan Luebbert and freshman right-fielder Kelsie Merritt, as they both mustered one hit and one RBI apiece.
Senior hurler Lucy Baldovino tossed her 21st victory of the season, as she collected six strikeouts and gave up seven hits.
Costa opened the bottom of the second with a leadoff double to get things going for the Navy and Gold, and then Binschus followed with a shallow hit to right field to put runners on the corners. Corban had a chance to score first after Binschus stole second and freshman pinch runner Maddy Melton (Salem, Ore.) attempted to score, but the Cavaliers managed to get the out at home to keep the Warriors scoreless.
Concordia took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third after sophomore center-fielder Meghan Luebbert notched an RBI groundout. The Cavaliers could've had a multi-hit inning in the fourth, but senior left-fielder Shelby Mauermann (Clackamas, Ore.) made a scooping catch to keep Corban out of the danger zone.
After Corban went hitless in the third and fourth frames, Concordia logged a one-run, two-out rally in the fifth to claim a 2-0 advantage. The Warriors had a chance to tally runs in the fifth, but the Navy and Gold stranded two runners to remain scoreless.
Concordia threatened to add to the damage in the top of the sixth after it put runners on the corners with no outs. But things suddenly turned around for Corban, as the alertness of the Warrior defense caught the runner on third in a pickle to get the first out of the inning, and then Corban proceeded to tag out the runner on first who tried to advance to third amidst the chaos. Buhrkuhl struck out Concordia's final batter of the frame to escape the jam.
In Corban's last chance to rally, Dorcas opened the bottom of the seventh with a leadoff single, and then sophomore pinch hitter Aubrene Blas (Sparks, Nev.) followed with a sacrifice bunt to send Dorcas to second. Sophomore center-fielder Annie Owen (Corvallis, Ore.) drew a two-out walk, but runners stranded continued to haunt the Navy and Gold, as Baldovino forced a flyout to seal the victory for Concordia.
No. 23 Corban 3, No. 17 Concordia 2 – Game Two
The Warriors bounced back from a game-one loss for the third time in the last four days, as Costa's two-run homer in the first inning proved to be the difference en route to a 3-2 triumph.
For Costa, it was the second day in a row the California native went deep, as she finished 2-for-3 in game two. She also collected two doubles in the doubleheader against the Cavaliers. Both Owen and junior shortstop Kali Van Cleave (Portland, Ore.) also compiled two hits in the winning effort.
Junior lefty Jessica Holsinger (Eagle, Idaho) picked up her 10th victory in the circle after holding Concordia to five hits and recording four strikeouts in the process. Meanwhile, junior hurler Danielle Horne (Vacaville, Calif.) marked her third save of the season, as she replaced Holsinger in the seventh and faced four batters to close out the win.
The Cavaliers were led in game two by junior left-fielder Sam Owirka, as she batted 1-for-3 with one RBI. In the circle, sophomore pitcher Tori Muir got tacked with the loss after yielding six hits and two earned runs.
After Owen started Corban on the right foot with a leadoff single in the first, Costa smashed a two-run homer to center with two outs to give the Warriors an early 2-0 lead.
Concordia sliced the Navy and Gold's lead in half (2-1) in the second after it dialed in a run on a Corban fielding error, but Holsinger's arm helped the Warriors maintain their one-run lead after keeping the Cavaliers hitless in the third and fourth innings.
The Navy and Gold tacked on an insurance run in the fourth, as Owen ripped an RBI single to left field to drive home Melton and give Corban 3-1 lead. Concordia put two runners on base in the top of the fifth with two outs, but Van Cleave made a diving catch to retire the side.
In the top of the sixth, junior left-fielder Sam Owirka smacked an RBI single to center to cut Corban's lead to one (3-2), and with runners on the corners, the Cavaliers threatened to add to the damage. Durre caught a short flyout for the second out of the inning, and then Van Cleave made a critical line-drive snatch to retire the side and keep the Warriors in front.
Just three outs away from logging a triumph, Corban placed Horne in the circle to finish off Concordia. Although the Cavaliers (39-13, 20-6 CCC) put the tying run on third with two outs, Horne forced a groundout to lock up Corban's sixth victory against a ranked opponent this season.
After the game, Dorcas, Mauermann, and senior third baseman Kyrianna Sorensen (Salem, Ore.) spoke about their final game at Warrior Field.
"The girls played really well both games today," said head coach Nathan Ohta. "Our at bats were focused, our defense made big plays, and our pitchers were awesome. That was a big win for us, and I was really happy that we were able to get that one for our three seniors. They have been great and we really wanted their last game at The Warrior Field to be a great one."
The Warriors (35-15, 18-10 CCC) return to action on May 1 for the CCC Tournament in Klamath Falls, Ore. Both the opponent and the time are to be determined.
