BELLEVUE, Wash. – Exceptional pitching and timely hitting were the difference-makers on Saturday for the No. 24-ranked Corban University softball team, which earned a pair of victories (7-2, 4-0) against Northwest University. Leading the charge in the circle, Ally Crakes and Kaylee Brown each tossed complete-game gems for the Navy and Gold.

"Today was a great day of softball," said head coach Rachel Martin. "Our defense came out on fire and had the backs of our pitchers. Ally and Kaylee threw two great complete games, making adjustments and keeping momentum in our favor. It was exciting to utilize so many offensive tools in the wins today. I'm excited to see how we come out tomorrow."

A Jessica Nunes two-run homer gave the hometown Eagles a first-inning lead in the series opener. That would be the only runs Crakes would allow, however, as the junior from San Diego settled in to scatter nine hits and hold Northwest scoreless for the remainder of the contest.

Crakes' counterpart, Rachel Hawley, was equally exceptional in the early going of game one, holding the Warriors without a run through the first four frames.

An RBI double from Kaylee Buhrkuhl helped Corban get on the board in the fifth, cutting the deficit in half. Buhrkuhl would finish the game with a 2-for-3 (R, RBI) effort at the dish.

The momentum shifted drastically in the sixth, as Corban exploded for six runs in support of Crakes.

Tatum Prechtel and Kasie Kloempken kickstarted the rally, with each reaching base in their pinch-hit at-bats to start the stanza.

From there, Madison Wyllie and Mariah Hyre each collected big hits in the pivotal frame, providing more than enough cushion for Crakes to finish out the complete-game effort.

"Tatum and Kasie started our rally in the first game and carried that tone throughout the second," added Martin.

Coming off a stellar outing in her first start as a Warrior last weekend, Brown was yet again outstanding in game two of today's doubleheader.

This time, the Warrior offense wasted no time jumping on Hawley. Buhrkuhl provided runs in the first and second for the Navy and Gold, opening the score with an RBI sac fly in the first, and doubling that lead with a run-scoring single in the following stanza.

Kloempken and Prechtel both tallied RBI base hits in the third, stretching the Warrior lead to 4-0.

Meanwhile, Brown was working on her second complete-game shutout in as many starts, masterfully working her way through the Eagle lineup en route to her third win of the young 2020 season.

In her past two outings, Brown has thrown 14 innings, surrendering a combined total of just six hits.

At the plate, Buhrkuhl (2-for-3, 2 RBI) finished with yet another two-hit game, while Sam Woodley (2-for-4), Ivey Uppinghouse (2-for-4), and Prechtel (2-for-3, R, RBI) each turned in multi-hit efforts.

Corban (7-5, 4-1 CCC) continues its hot start to Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) play, and will look to complete a sweep of Northwest tomorrow.

The Warriors and Eagles will open tomorrow's doubleheader with a conference battle at 1 p.m., then concluding the four-game series with a non-conference bout afterwards. Both games will take place at Interlake High School in Bellevue, Wash.