HAPPY VALLEY, Ore. – Thanks to big homeruns in game one and clutch pitching and hitting in game two, the No. 23 Corban University softball team swept No. 16 Southern Oregon University on Wednesday at Hood View Park. After a 9-4 triumph in the opener, the Warriors came from behind to defeat the Raiders in a game-two pitching duel, 2-1.
Click the 'Play Button' on the photo above for video highlights from the two wins.
"The girls definitely came ready to play today, and those were two big wins for us," said Corban head coach Nathan Ohta. "The girls put it to them pretty good in game one, and gritted out a tough come from behind win in game two."
In the opener, the first two batters of the game got on base in front of Warrior junior shortstop Iris Rodriguez (Warden, Wash.). Rodriguez stepped up to the dish and lined a screamer over the left-field wall, putting Corban up 3-0 right away.
In the third, Rodriguez reached base in front of sophomore first baseman Raina Reece (Salem, Ore.), and Reece got ahold of a pitch and sent it way past the center field fence, extending Corban's lead to 5-0. Next up was junior third baseman Raimee Sluder (Longview, Wash.), and Sluder made it back-to-back home runs with a line-drive sizzler over the wall in right-center, marking her seventh home run of the campaign.
From that point on, the Warriors closed the door and sealed the 9-4 victory, setting the table for a big game two. In the game-one triumph, Rodriguez went 2-for-2 at the plate with four RBI, reaching base four times in the contest. In addition, junior center fielder Taylor Eilders (Cameron Park, Calif.) and Sluder each totaled two hits in the game.
Senior pitcher Jessica Holsinger (Eagle, Idaho) earned the win in the circle for Corban, tossing six innings while allowing four runs, only three of which were earned. She also struck out five in the process. Fellow senior Emily Buhrkuhl (Stockton, Calif.) came on in the seventh and gave up just one hit and no runs to help the Warriors secure the five-run victory.
For the Raiders, Kayleen Smith went 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBI in game one, while Kelsey Randall registered a two-hit performance with two runs scored.
After the win, Rodriguez talked about the triumph in a postgame interview:
In the second game of the day, the first three innings flew by with SOU's Victoria Mackey and Corban's Allie Mendez (Stockton, Calif.) both dealing and sitting the opposing team's batters down. In the fourth frame, the Raiders took advantage of a Warrior error, and Rebecca Velasquez eventually made Corban pay with an RBI single up the middle.
It looked as if the score was going to remain that way for the remainder of the contest, but in the sixth, the Warriors got a rally started. Sophomore Maddy Melton (Salem, Ore.) got things going with a perfectly cushioned bunt single down the third base line. Rodriguez then laced a single to left field, and the Warriors were in business with runners on at first and second.
Sophomore Chaleigh Kirkwood (Newport, Wash.) pinch hit for Corban next, and she blasted a high fly ball to right field, but SOU's Megan Winton made a great play on the ball, making a diving catch while falling over the wall to keep it from being a home run. On the play, both Warrior runners did advance. Sluder registered an RBI groundout for the Corban on the next play, tying the game at 1-1. Then with two outs, freshman right fielder Grace Utto-Galarneau (Lacey, Wash.) ripped the game-winning RBI single through the left side, scoring Rodriguez from third base.
Up 2-1 in the seventh, Mendez remained in the circle for Corban, and after a Raider runner reached base via an error and eventually found herself on second base, Mendez came up clutch, striking out the final batter of the game to secure the game-two victory and doubleheader sweep of the 16th-ranked Raiders (15-9, 3-3 CCC).
"Jess, Emily, and Allie threw very well again today, and we got a couple of huge pinch hit at-bats from Maddy Melton and Chaleigh Kirkwood to fuel the rally late in the second game," said Ohta. "I love team efforts and it says a lot about our toughness and team-first mentality to be able to step in and get it done in a situation like that, so kudos to them and the team for a job well done."
Mendez earned the win for Corban, going all seven innings while allowing just the one unearned run and four hits while striking out six. She was also the only Warrior hitter who recorded multiple hits at the plate, finishing the game with two knocks.
Mendez talked about the important victories after the game:
SOU's Mackey threw all six innings for the Raiders, allowing seven hits and two earned runs. For Mackey, the loss was her first of the year after starting 8-0 in her rookie campaign.
Corban (19-10, 5-3 CCC) returns to the road this weekend for a pair of doubleheaders against College of Idaho and Eastern Oregon. First pitch against the Yotes on Friday is set for 1 p.m. PST.
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