ASHLAND, Ore. – The No. 4-seeded Corban University softball team opened up the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank, with a 4-2 victory over Carroll College on Friday morning. The Warriors fell by a final score of 4-1 to No. 1-seeded Southern Oregon later in the day, however, forcing an elimination contest between Corban and British Columbia at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

"Game one was a great display of the team's ability to fight back and be resilient," said head coach Abigail Farler, speaking on the contest against Carroll. "Rachel [White] and Alyssa [Vidal] worked together to throw a great game, and we saw a few web gems that saved us."

Rachel White continued her dominant stretch in the circle, tossing five and one-third innings and allowing just two runs (one earned) to notch the victory. The Second-Team All-Conference pitcher has now won each of her past five decisions, dating back to April 11.

After the Fighting Saints plated an unearned run in the top of the first against White, Makiah Johnson helped even the score with an RBI single in the second. The Warrior offense did its biggest damage in the bottom of the third, plating a trio of runs to take a 4-1 lead. Sam Woodley blasting a two-run shot (5) to kickstart the rally, and freshman Kaycee Arase drove in another run with an RBI single.  

Carroll mounted a comeback attempt in the sixth, scoring a run that would end up being charged to White. Alyssa Vidal entered in relief midway through the frame, eventually getting First-Team All-Conference infielder Anna ApRoberts to ground out to third, stranding the tying run at second base. A 1-2-3 seventh helped Vidal earn her third save of the season.

The victory propelled the Navy and Gold into the 2 p.m. contest against tournament host Southern Oregon.

Competing in their second matchup of the day, the Warriors struggled to find an offensive rhythm against Raider ace Gabby Sandoval, who earned her CCC-record 28^th win of the season in the Southern Oregon triumph.

The Raiders struck early for a pair of runs in the first, and that would prove to be all the CCC Pitcher of the Year would need, as Sandoval allowed just one run in the complete-game performance.

The Warriors' lone run would come in the bottom of the seventh, courtesy of an RBI single from Johnson. The late comeback would fall short, however, as No. 1-seeded Southern Oregon claimed a 4-1 victory on their home diamond.

"In game two, we put ourselves in a huge hole in the first inning and we just never got out of it," Farler added. "We didn't make enough adjustments and it cost us. We are ready to come to battle tomorrow."

Corban will now meet with No. 6-seeded British Columbia at 9 a.m. tomorrow. The winner of the contest will survive and advance to play again at 4:30 p.m. against the winner of Carroll and College of Idaho, while the loser will be eliminated from the tournament.