KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Despite a gritty effort against one of the best pitching tandems in the country, the No. 22 Corban University softball team fell short to No. 5 Saint Xavier University, 8-3, in the elimination game of the Oregon Tech Bracket of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Opening Round.
"Our three seniors, RaeAnna Dorcas, Shelby Mauermann, and Kyrianna Sorensen capped off great careers today, and they were such a huge part of this team," said head coach Nathan Ohta. "We will miss them, but they are true Warriors, and they've set the bar high for our future players, and I'm grateful for all they have done for this team."
Corban concluded the ball game with eight hits against a team that allowed just 4.30 hits per contest. Meanwhile, first-seeded Saint Xavier compiled 15 hits en route to the triumph.
"I'm proud of all of these young ladies," commented Ohta. "They have been through a lot this year, and they have come so far both on and off the field. It's always hard to see a season come to an end, but this team has represented Christ, Corban and our softball program well, and deserve to be celebrated for that as well as what they accomplished on the field. Even though our season has come to an end, it's still a great day to be a Warrior!"
The Navy and Gold showed why it's one of the top teams in the country in home runs per game, as sophomore first baseman Raimee Sluder (Longview, Wash.) and junior pinch hitter McCayla Hoffman (Bothell, Wash.) both tallied homers in the losing effort. Senior third baseman Kyrianna Sorensen (Salem, Ore.) batted 2-for-4 in her final game as a Warrior, while sophomore second baseman Aubrene Blas (Sparks, Nev.) recorded a pair of singles for Corban.
Three pitchers saw action for the Warriors, as junior righty Danielle Horne (Vacaville, Calif.) finished the season 7-3 after tossing for four innings. Freshman pitcher Sabrina Boyd (Pleasant Hill, Ore.) saw one inning in the circle, while junior hurler Emily Buhrkuhl (Stockton, Calif.) pitched the final two innings for the Navy and Gold.
Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning, Corban tied the game thanks to a two-run shot by Sluder. After Eilders opened the frame with a single to shallow left-center field, Sluder knocked one over the left-field fence for her third homer of the season to knot the top-25 battle at two apiece.
The Cougars bounced back in the third with two runs on three hits to reclaim a two-run lead (4-2), but Hoffman fired right back in the bottom of the fifth with a solo shot to left field on a 2-2 count to pull the Warriors to within one (4-3).
In the top of the fifth, Saint Xavier (46-6-2) registered four runs on four hits to take an 8-3 lead, and the Cougars turned to two-time NAIA All-American pitcher Nicole Nonnemacher for the final three innings.
Meanwhile, Corban looked to Buhrkuhl in the top of the sixth to stay within striking distance, and the righty held the Cougars to two hits to keep the score at 8-3.
In the bottom of the sixth, Sluder solved Nonnemacher's spell with a two-out double to left-center field to keep the inning alive for the Navy and Gold. Hoffman followed with a shallow hit that took a tricky bounce in the infield, but the Cougars booked the out at first just in time to retire the side and keep Corban at bay.
After Buhrkuhl tossed a hitless inning in the top of the seventh, Corban turned to the 9-1-2 hitters of its respective lineup to keep its season alive. But Nonnemacher refused to budge, as she struck out three of the Warriors' final four batters to grant Saint Xavier the 8-3 win.
Corban amassed the second-most wins in school history, as the Navy and Gold finished 39-18 and 18-10 in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) play. In addition to advancing to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round for the second time in program history, the Warriors won their first CCC Tournament Championship.
