LINCOLN, Calif. – The Corban University softball team went head-to-head with one of the NAIA's hottest teams on Saturday, earning a doubleheader split against William Jessup University. Corban took a thrilling game one by an 8-6 final score, while WJU claimed the back half of the doubleheader with a 9-1 victory (five innings) in game two.
Entering today's games, Jessup boasted a 7-1 record, which included a doubleheader sweep of No. 1-ranked Oregon Tech and a win over No. 5-ranked Southern Oregon University.
"We came out ready to compete and it was a great first game," said head coach Danyelle Huber. "The team is learning what it takes to be consistent. Overall, today was a great day and a lot of fun to come out with a win against William Jessup. When things click for us, other teams better watch out!"
Both teams plated runs in the first inning of game one, and Jessup struck for two in the second to take an early 3-1 lead. After an error helped the Navy and Gold pull within one in the top of the fourth, the hometown team answered back with two more in the bottom of the stanza, extending its lead to 5-2 after four complete.
The resilient Corban offense responded with a pivotal five-run fifth, doing all of its damage with two outs in the incredible inning.
Maddie Ogles started the rally with a run-scoring double, and then Anastasia Iosia brought her in two batters later with a single down the left-field line. The next batter, Kaycee Arase, put Corban in front with a clutch two-run single through the left side, and then she would come home promptly courtesy of a pinch-hit RBI single from Tatiana Liu.
Jessup got one of those back in its half of the frame, but Ogles struck again with another RBI two-bagger in the sixth to give Holly Gonzales some insurance in the circle.
Gonzales turned in a gritty effort for the visiting Warriors, going the distance and collecting six strikeouts en route to the victory. She scattered seven Jessup hits and allowed just three earned runs, claiming her first win of the 2022 campaign. On the opposite side, Jessup's Katie Blankenheim was saddled with her first loss of the season (4-1).
Ogles (3-for-4, 2 RBI, R) and Calderon (3-for-4, 2 R) each finished with three-hit games, while Iosia (2-for-4, 2 R) also collected a multi-hit performance.
Unfortunately for the Navy and Gold, it was Jessup's turn to breakout offensively in the second game of the doubleheader, as the hometown Warriors scored in each of its half innings in the 9-1 victory.
The potent WJU lineup rattled off 10 hits in total, leading to three runs in the first, two in the second, another in the third, and three more in the fourth.
Corban's lone run came in the fourth, when Madison Wyllie ripped a single to center, eventually resulting in Sarah Bradshaw crossing home plate.
Wyllie (1-for-2, RBI), Ogles (1-for-2), and Meri McElligot (1-for-1) accounted for the squad's three hits.
Saturday's results show just how talented the Corban roster is, and the Navy and Gold (3-5) will continue its challenging early-season road trip tomorrow against Menlo College. The Warriors and Oaks will compete in another doubleheader, with first pitch of game one scheduled for 11 a.m.
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