SALEM, Ore. – The Corban University softball team showed its resilience in a doubleheader split against the 19th-ranked Oregon Tech Owls at home on Tuesday afternoon. After falling to Oregon Tech, 3-1, in nine innings, the Warriors bounced back in a big way, riding a five-run fifth inning to an 8-3 game two victory.
"The team played very good softball today," said head coach Nathan Ohta. "Our defense was solid, and the girls are starting to hit their stride now that the weather is allowing us to get outside a bit more. I think we've still got even more in the tank, but the girls showed today that they are able to play at a very high level and gave a great effort."
Game 1: Oregon Tech 3, Corban 1 (9 Innings)
Game one was one of missed opportunities, as the Warriors had ten hits but left 19 baserunners stranded throughout the game, including leaving the bases loaded four times.
Corban's best chance of the day was undoubtedly the bottom of the fifth inning, when the Warriors loaded the bases with nobody out and seemed poised to break the game wide open. Unfortunately, they were only able to gather one run, on a Danielle Ackerman (Dallas, Ore.) RBI single, and ultimately failed to take advantage of a prime opportunity.
Ann-Marie Guischer, who started in the circle for Oregon Tech, pitched herself out of a jam nearly every inning, but only allowed one run in a complete game effort. For Guischer, it was her seventh win of the season.
Jessica Holsinger (Eagle, Idaho) started the game for Corban and was lights out, shutting the high-powered Owls offense down completely for the first six innings. Oregon Tech eventually got to Holsinger with two outs in the top of the seventh inning, scoring on an RBI single by McKenzie Shrum to tie the game, which would eventually go into extra innings.
In the top of the ninth frame, Owl right fielder Tre Sullivan hit a line drive two-run homerun to put Tech ahead, and that would prove to be the final score as Corban was unable to scratch anything across in the bottom of the inning.
The Warriors were led offensively by Grace Utto-Galarneau (Lacey, Wash.) with three hits, while Ashleigh Lynch (Ronan, Mont.) notched two more.
Sullivan was the primary source of offense for the Owls, with two hits, including the game-winning homerun.
Game 2: Corban 8, Oregon Tech 3
The nightcap started very differently, with the offense for Corban getting started right away off Owls starting pitcher Ali Graham. After a leadoff walk, Iris Rodriguez (Warden, Wash.) and Allie Mendez (Stockton, Calif.) both laced opposite-field RBI hits to give the Warriors an early 2-0 advantage. An RBI single by Lynch in the third increased the lead to three.
Oregon Tech got on the board in the top of the fifth frame when the Owls broke through for two runs off Corban starter Allie Mendez. After loading the bases on three straight hits to start the inning, Tara Moates notched an RBI groundout before Graham hit a towering fly ball to center field to score another Tech runner and cut the lead to one.
That was as close as the Owls would get, however, as Corban erupted for five runs in the bottom half of the fifth off Oregon Tech reliever Kelly Scott. The inning was highlighted by a line drive three-run homerun by Raimee Sluder (Longview, Wash.) that put the game out of reach.
The Owls scored one more run in the sixth inning on an RBI double by Jacey Conklin to close out the scoring.
Lynch led the Warriors offensively with three hits, while Mendez and Taylor Eilders (Cameron Park, Calif.) each tallied two. Sluder knocked in three runs, while Iris Rodriguez also racked up two RBI.
Lynch talked about her performance in a postgame interview:
Graham, Conklin, Katie Virtue, and McKenzie Shrum all recorded two hits for Oregon Tech, who had 11 in the game.
Mendez threw all seven innings for the Warriors, allowing just two earned runs in her eighth win of the season. Graham suffered the loss for the Owls, going 3.0 innings and allowing three runs (two earned).
Corban (25-14, 9-7 CCC) will stay home this weekend and host the University of British Columbia (Canada) on Friday in a CCC doubleheader. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and live stats and video will be available here.
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