KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The Corban University softball team left 18 baserunners stranded on Friday afternoon, and it came back to bite the Warriors as Corban dropped both ends of a Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) doubleheader to No. 24 Oregon Tech. After losing game one, 4-0, the Warriors dropped the nightcap, 4-2.
In the opener, the Warriors got a pair of baserunners on in the second, but were unable to convert. Oregon tech then took the lead in the bottom half of the second frame with one run.
The game remained 1-0 with Corban continuing to get runners on base, but the key hits did not come.
In the sixth frame, the Owls took advantage of a costly error by the Warriors, scoring three unearned runs in the inning to extend the lead to 4-0, seemingly sealing the deal.
Corban, however, would not go down without a fight. In the seventh inning, the first two Warriors of the inning recorded outs, but then junior center fielder Taylor Eilders (Cameron Park, Calif.) got a rally going with a single to right field. Sophomore left fielder Maddy Melton (Salem, Ore.) then singled to left field, bringing junior shortstop Iris Rodriguez (Warden, Wash.) up to the plate. A single from Rodriguez loaded the bases, bringing the cleanup hitter and potential tying run, sophomore Raina Reece (Salem, Ore.), to the dish. Unfortunately for the Navy and Gold, Reece popped up the center field, ending the ballgame.
In the game-one defeat, the Warriors left 10 runners on base and got at least one runner on base in every inning except for one. For Corban, it was the first time it had been shut out by an NAIA team all year long, and second time overall.
In game two, Corban got on the board first thanks to an opposite field home run from Rodriguez in the top of the first frame, putting the Warriors up 1-0. The Owls, however, answered immediately, scoring one run in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 1-1.
The Warriors once again took the lead, this time in the fourth inning when Warrior sophomore catcher Chaleigh Kirkwood (Newport, Wash.) laced an RBI double to right field, scoring Warrior freshman Grace Utto-Galarneau (Lacey, Wash.) on the play.
Oregon Tech (24-15, 17-5 CCC) responded with three runs in the bottom half of the inning to retake the lead, and the Owls would never relinquish the advantage despite Corban getting five runners on base over the course of the last three innings.
In total, the Warriors left eight more baserunners stranded, and left at least one Warrior on base in all but one inning.
Both Eilders and Melton registered a pair of hits in the defeat, while Rodriguez finished with the one hit and one RBI on the home run. Eilders finished the day with a combined five hits to lead the way for the Navy at the plate.
"When you play good teams in big games on the road, you have to capitalize on the chances you have," said Corban head coach Nathan Ohta. "We didn't do that today, didn't shut the door on them when we had chances, and it came back to bite us. This is a good learning experience for a young team, and it will make us tougher and prepare us for the conference tournament."
Corban (29-16, 13-9 CCC) returns to action tomorrow in Ashland against No. 18 Southern Oregon University (30-12, 16-6 CCC). First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 11 a.m.
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