WEED, Calif. - The No. 17-ranked Corban University Softball team finished its first road trip of the 2016 campaign on fire at the plate, racking up 15 total team hits in an 11-2 triumph over Menlo College in just six innings, earning the split on the day with the Oaks. Menlo won the first contest of the morning, 3-2.
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The win gives Corban the season series victory over Menlo, as the Warriors won three of the four times the two sides played over the weekend.
"The girls closed out the day with a strong performance," said Corban head coach Nathan Ohta. "This was a long trip with eight games in three days, but it was really good for us and the experience gained is going to benefit us a lot as the season progresses. I'm proud of how the girls played and am excited to get back and start preparing for next weekend."
In the opener, the Warriors left the bases loaded in one inning while stranding nine total base runners in the game. The Oaks nabbed the 3-0 lead early on and held on late, as a two-run homerun from Corban freshman third baseman Grace Utto-Galarneau (Lacey, Wash.) was not enough to bring the Warriors back from the three-run deficit in the seventh inning.
In game two, Corban junior center fielder Taylor Eilders (Cameron Park, Calif.) began the game swinging at the first pitch, and not only did she make contact, but she blasted the ball over the left-field wall, putting Corban in front early. The Warriors added two more runs in the frame when junior first baseman Raimee Sluder laced a two-RBI single up the middle.
Menlo pulled a pair back in the bottom half of the inning, but Corban remained hot at the dish, scoring five runs over the next two innings, extending the advantage to 9-2. The Warriors then added a pair of runs in the sixth frame and shut the Oaks down in the bottom half, winning via the mercy rule by nine runs in just six innings.
Corban junior pitcher Allie Mendez (Stockton, Calif.) went the distance once again for the Warriors, allowing five hits and just two runs, only one of which was earned. On the weekend, she tallied three wins, three complete games, and allowed just two earned runs. After the game, she talked about her team's performance in a post-game interview:
As a team, the 15 hits and 11 runs were both a season-high marks, as Eilders totaled three hits and a number of players recorded two hits, including Sluder. Sluder finished 2-for-4 at the plate in the game with a team-best five RBI. On the day overall, she went 5-for-7 at the dish.
Corban (5-3) returns to action next week when it hosts Simpson University for a pair of doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday. First pitch both days is scheduled for 11 a.m.
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