ASHLAND, Ore. – The Corban University softball team put together a pair of gritty performances on Saturday afternoon, defeating No. 18 Southern Oregon University twice en route to clinching its spot in the 2016 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament. After winning game one, 1-0, the Warriors won an 11-inning thriller in game two, 9-7.
During the 2016 regular season, SOU was ranked higher all four times the two teams faced off against one another, but in all four games, the result was the same – a Corban Softball victory. Moreover, now with 31 wins on the year, it marks the fourth time in program history that the Warriors have won 30 or more games in a single season.
"We've been playing well, but have come up short a few times this year in gritty, close games against good teams," said Corban head coach Nathan Ohta. "We challenged the girls to dig a little deeper, to do whatever it takes, to want it more than our opponents, and to find a way to win those hard-fought games. They definitely got an opportunity to do that today, and to see what they are really made of."
The Warriors are one of three teams from the CCC West Division to garner a berth in the CCC Tournament, and depending on results next weekend from Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon when both teams play at Northwest University and the University of British Columbia, Corban still has a shot to host the CCC Tournament, albeit slight. CCC Standings
In game one on Saturday, senior pitcher Jessica Holsinger (Eagle, Idaho) absolutely dominated the Raiders, surrendering just three hits while striking out five SOU batters in the complete game shutout. The only time she allowed a leadoff hit in the game was in the seventh frame en route to her 14th win of the 2016 campaign.
In that game-one win, it was freshman second baseman McKenzie Giancola (Clackamas, Ore.) that provided the game-winning hit, ripping a single through the right side to score Warrior junior first baseman Raimee Sluder (Longview, Wash.) on the play. The run was the only score of the contest.
Solid at the plate for Corban was Warrior sophomore right fielder Maddy Melton (Salem, Ore.), as Melton went 3-for-4 at the dish in the triumph. In addition, junior shortstop Iris Rodriguez (Warden, Wash.) went 2-for-4 for the Warriors at the plate, while junior center fielder Taylor Eilders (Cameron Park, Calif.) registered her team-leading 67th hit of the 2016 campaign, tying the school record.
In game two's third inning, Eilders made history, ripping a single to center field to set the new school record for hits in a single season, tallying her 68th of the campaign.
Fast forward to the fifth inning, the Warriors were trailing 3-2, but that all turned around thanks to a five-run fifth frame, highlighted by a three-run home run from Warrior senior McCayla Hoffman (Bothell, Wash.), as she launched one over the center field wall to put Corban up 7-3.
The No. 18 Raiders (30-14, 16-8 CCC, 11-5 CCC West) would not got down without a fight, however, scoring three runs of their own in the fifth inning and then tied the game in the sixth with one more run.
The game remained knotted at 7-7 all the way until the 11th inning when Sluder provided the heroics, smashing the game-winning two-run home run to right-center, putting the Warriors on top 9-7. In the bottom half of the frame, Holsinger then closed the door, earning her 15th win of the year while throwing seven innings in relief in game two.
At the dish in the dramatic win, Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, while Sluder went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and three RBI.
"SOU is a very good team and kept the pressure on, but the girls responded with big plays, big pitches, and big at-bats and found a way to win," said Ohta. "These were the kind of wins that help a team make a big jump forward and they couldn't have come at a better time."
Eilders finished game two 2-for-6, totaling three hits on the day to now take her to 69 hits on the year, passing former Warrior greats Stephanie Nippert (Hull) and Kyrianna Sorensen in the record books for most hits in a single season.
"Also, congrats to Taylor on breaking the hits record at Corban," said Ohta. "She has had a phenomenal year and it has been exciting to be able to watch her play every day."
Corban (31-16, 15-9 CCC, 13-7 CCC West) returns home next weekend for its final two home regular-season doubleheaders. Friday's game against Carroll College (Mont.) will be played at 2 p.m., while Saturday's Senior Day is against the University of Great Falls is set for an 11 a.m. start.
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