KIRKLAND, Wash. – After dropping the first game of the day on the road against the Northwest University Eagles, 4-3, the 17th-ranked Corban University softball team bounced back in the second game of the day to earn the 7-0 win and the doubleheader split. The results mark the second-straight series between the two teams that the Warriors and Eagles have finished the day with a split dating back to last year.
"It took us a little while to get things going today," said Corban head coach Nathan Ohta, "but our pitchers threw really well again, and we were finally able to get our offense going. Tomorrow's games are big ones in terms of playoff standings and it will be a good test for the girls playing important games on the road and it being our sixth game of the week."
Northwest took a 1-0 lead in the first frame against Corban in the opener and held that lead all the way until the sixth inning.
The Warriors looked ready to stage the late-game comeback, however, as sophomore Raina Reece (Salem, Ore.) blasted the go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning. The Eagles (7-9) responded with three in the bottom half of the frame to retake the lead heading into the final inning.
Corban got another rally started with a home run from junior Paige Martin (Portland, Ore.) in the seventh, cutting the deficit to one, but the Navy and Gold ultimately left runners stranded later in the inning, resulting in the tough one-run defeat.
Knowing it needed to turn things around in the second game of the day, freshman Grace Utto-Galarneau (Kirkland, Wash.) blasted a shot over the left-field wall in the second to give Corban the early advantage.
In the circle, junior Allie Mendez (Stockton, Calif.) was dealing, shutting down Northwest effectively through the first two innings, and then in the third, she helped herself out at the plate by blasting a home run over the center field wall.
The Warriors added another in the fifth and then supplied the dagger in the sixth with four runs, effectively putting the game away.
Mendez earned the win in the circle, tossing five innings while allowing just one hit and striking out four. Senior pitcher Emily Buhrkuhl (Stockton, Calif.) performed brilliantly in relief, throwing the final two innings while allowing just one hit and no runs as well.
At the dish, junior Iris Rodriguez (Warden, Wash.) went 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Mendez went 1-for-1 at the plate with one RBI and three runs scored.
Corban (17-8, 3-1 CCC) returns to Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) action tomorrow in Canada when it takes on the University of British Columbia. First pitch against the Thunderbirds is set for 11 a.m.
