REDDING, Calif. - The No. 17-ranked Corban University softball team opened day two of the Simpson Invite with a pair of wins, upping the win total to four games in two days. The Warriors defeated Menlo College 9-1 in the opener, blew past St. Katherine College 10-3 in the second contest, and lost to William Jessup University 8-2 in the nightcap.
Click on photo above for video highlights from the two wins.
Photo Gallery from Day 2
"The girls played with a lot of intensity and effort today, and made a couple of good adjustments from yesterday," said Corban head softball coach Nathan Ohta. "In the third game, their kid pitched well and we kicked the ball around a little bit, but that is a game that will make us better, and going 4-2 meant that it was a very good tournament for us."
In the opener against Menlo, the Warriors scored early in the first and then extended the lead to 4-1 in the third frame, taking command of the opener. The Warriors pushed further ahead in the fifth inning when Corban junior shortstop Iris Rodriguez (Warden, Wash.) blasted a long homerun over the right-field fence to make it 5-1, and then freshman right-fielder Grace Utto-Galarneau (Lacey, Wash.) smashed a shot over the left-field wall, giving Corban a five-run lead. The Warriors added three in the sixth to seal the deal, winning via the mercy rule, 9-1.
Rodriguez finished the game 4-for-4 at the dish with two runs scored and four RBI, while Utto-Galarneau went 2-for-2 with two RBI. In the circle, junior pitcher Allie Mendez (Stockton, Calif.) recorded her second complete game in as many days, allowing just four hits and one run while striking out five.
After the game, Rodriguez talked about the team's triumph in a post-game interview:
Game two for the Warriors saw the offense pick up right where it left off in the first game of the day, scoring five runs in the first inning, highlighted by a two-run homerun from sophomore catcher Chaleigh Kirkwood (Newport, Wash.), her first of the campaign. Senior first baseman McCayla Hoffman (Bothell, Wash.) laced a two RBI single to left field in the third frame, and at that point, the rout was on, as the Warriors cruised to the 10-3 victory over St. Katherine. Hoffman finished the contest 3-for-4 with two RBI in the game.
Sophomore pitcher Sabrina Boyd (Pleasant Hill, Ore.) earned the victory in relief for the Warriors, going 4.0 innings in the circle while allowing only two runs, one of which was earned.
Corban started the nightcap against William Jessup strong, scoring a run in each of the first two innings, but William Jessup responded, ultimately taking advantage of some Warrior errors while registering a few big hits en route to the six run victory. The highlight performance of the game for Corban came from junior catcher Danielle Ackerman (Dallas, Ore.), as she went 3-for-3 at the plate for the Warriors in the defeat.
"Our pitchers have pitched very well, and we're starting to get the bats going," said Ohta. "It is still early and we haven't been on the field much yet, but the girls are really starting to put things together and we're excited to close out the road trip with a couple big games tomorrow."
Corban (4-2) finishes up its first road trip of the year tomorrow in Weed, Calif., with a doubleheader against Menlo College. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m.
Become a fan of Corban Athletics on Facebook
Follow Corban Athletics on Twitter @CorbanAthletics
Follow Corban Athletics on Instagram: corban_athletics
Follow Corban Athletics on Snapchat: corbanathletics
Watch Corban Warrior videos on Youtube: CorbanUAthletics
Sign up for our Corban Warriors email Newsletter
#WarriorNation
