SALEM, Ore. – Thanks to a pair of walk-off wins, in very different scenarios, the No. 8-ranked Corban University softball team swept (RV) Simpson University (Calif.) on Monday, winning 1-0 in eight innings and 9-1 in five innings.
Click the 'Play Button' on the photo above to watch the video highlight of the game-winning walk-off hit from game one.
"I am so proud of my team for putting up two great fights today," said Corban head coach Abigail Farler. "In the first game, it was a tough battle all eight innings. I think Sabrina did a great job of controlling Simpson's offense, and our defense made some clutch stops with runners in scoring position. It was great to see Maddy come through for the team in her final at-bat and produce the game-winning RBI."
Monday's first game of the day was a thriller, as both team's pitchers were on fire in the circle. Simpson's Sydney Moorhead kept Corban at bay offensively, but Corban's Sabrina Boyd did the exact same to the Red Hawks, limiting Simpson's chances. Back and forth, the two pitchers went, both getting out of a couple of jams throughout the contest, and ultimately, the game went to extra innings tied at 0-0.
In the eighth frame, Boyd shut down the Red Hawk offense and sent the contest to the bottom half of the inning with the Warriors having a shot to win it. And Corban did not mess around, as Tabby Humphrey led off with a single to third base, utilizing her speed to reach first before the throw got there. Maddy Melton was up next, and she laced a line drive into the gap in left-center, bringing Humphrey all the way around from first to score the game-winning run.
The victory was a dramatic one, and for Melton, it capped off a good game at the plate for her, as she went 2-for-4 with one RBI, accounting for one-third of the team's hits.
Boyd, who was just named the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Pitcher of the Week for her efforts last week, was dominant once again, throwing her fifth-straight complete-game shutout. On Monday, she went all eight innings, allowing just four hits while striking out three.
Game two saw the Warriors fall behind in the second, and it looked as if it was going to be another low-scoring contest, but then the Corban bats erupted in the fourth inning for six runs before scoring three more in the fifth to secure the mercy-rule win in five innings by eight runs on another walk-off hit.
Kaylee Buhrkuhl was fantastic for the Navy and Gold at the dish, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and one run scored, while Melton added two more hits for Corban as well. Ashlyn Englehorn provided Corban's first big hit of the ballgame in the fourth, ripping a two-RBI single to right field to give the Warriors their first lead of the contest to that point.
"In game two, we got to showcase a lot of our skills which was fun," said Farler. "We have a lot of savvy softball players on our team who push the envelope and made it an exciting game to watch. Ally did a great job for us in the circle and gave us a great opportunity for a good team win."
Ally Crakes was very good in the circle for the Warriors, pitching all five innings while allowing six hits and just one earned run while striking out three.
Corban (17-4) is scheduled to return to the field on Friday and Saturday when it hosts Oregon Tech. Bad weather is in the forecast for this weekend, however, so stay tuned at CorbanWarriors.com for the latest updates to the schedule as they become available.
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