KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – In a battle between two NAIA top-25 programs, the No. 10-ranked Corban University softball team dropped a pair of contests to No. 13-ranked Oregon Tech on Saturday. The Owls were in control for the majority of their 7-2 victory in the series opener, and mounted an eight-run sixth—punctuated by a two-out grand slam—to snatch a shocking 11-9 victory in game two. 

"We did not compete hard enough today and Oregon Tech did," said head coach Abigail Farler. "They wanted both games more than we did and it showed. We know that we have the skill and talent needed to play better ballgames than we did today, but we will need to choose to fight for everything tomorrow to create different outcomes."

At no point did the Navy and Gold possess the lead in the series opener, with the Owls' cleanup hitter Andrea Sotelo sending her conference-leading 10^th home run over the right field fence to kick-start the Oregon Tech offense in the first inning.

The Owls would end up scoring three runs off of Warrior game-one starter Rachel White, who would get saddled with the loss to move to 5-2 on the season. The Navy and Gold would make it interesting in the fourth, drawing within one after Sam Woodley (1-for-3, one run, one RBI) and Makiah Johnson (3-for-3, one RBI) registered back-to-back RBI extra-base hits. However, a four-run, four-hit frame for Oregon Tech in the bottom of the fifth would put the game on ice.

Oregon Tech's Kiahna Brown led off game two with a solo blast, signaling the Owl bats had no intention of slowing down in the second half of the doubleheader. The squad tacked on two more in the bottom of the third, forcing Corban to play from behind yet again.

The Navy and Gold would flip the game upside down in the fourth, responding with six runs on six hits to take the lead. Jessie Isham got things going, launching her sixth home run of the season to put the Warriors on the board. Corban's offense would erupt for five more runs after that, as Woodley, Johnson, Kaylee Buhrkuhl, Taylor Beasley, and Tatum Prechtel would all collect hits in the inning.

In the following frame, Megan Rybar smashed a three-run home run (3) to dead center, seemingly putting the game out of reach.

But Oregon Tech (28-10, 14-3 CCC) refused to give in, conjuring an eight spot in the sixth inning to erase the six-run deficit and claim an 11-9 advantage.  

Owl right fielder Baylee Wyscaver—who had led off the inning with a double—provided the final blow in the devastating inning, capping off the eight-run rally with a two-out, go-ahead grand slam.  

The Warriors (22-10, 11-6 CCC) will have another opportunity tomorrow against the Owls, with the two teams set to square off again in an 11 a.m. doubleheader down in Klamath Falls.