SALEM, Ore. – The Corban University softball team and Bushnell University shared the spoils in their midweek doubleheader at Warrior Field, with the Beacons taking game one by a 4-3 final score, and the Warriors returning the favor with a 5-3 triumph in game two.

"The Corban Warriors have a lot more fight in them," said head coach Danyelle Huber. "We just came shy of two wins today. I'm proud of every single one of them today, some of which played their last games on Warrior home field territory. They laid it all out there."

In the first game, Bushnell served as the home team due to the array of scheduling changes that had happening leading up to the contest. The two teams had one of their two games on March 8 at Bushnell rained out earlier this spring, and the first game served as a make-up of that contest.

The Beacons jumped out to an early lead in the first inning, plating three runs to draw first blood in the first contest of the twin bill. All of those runs came with two outs, adding to the Navy and Gold's frustration.

After a pinch-hit, RBI groundout from Sarah Bradshaw got Corban on the board in the fifth, an opposite-field solo homer from Maddie Ogles cut the deficit to just one in the top of the sixth.

That kicked off a stretch of three-straight hits for the squad, as Kaycee Arase ripped a single up the middle in the next at-bat, and Madison Wyllie brought Arase in with a game-tying RBI double into the left-center gap.

The Beacons retook the lead in their half of the six, with a Jordan Kuykendall RBI single making it a 4-3 ballgame. That is where the score would stay, as Bushnell starter Sam Silver finished off the complete-game performance to earn the win in the circle.

The Warriors were paced offensively by seniors Wyllie and Arase, who each ended the loss with a pair of hits.

Corban landed the first punch in game two, as an experienced situational at-bat from Arase led to an RBI sac fly for the game's first run. A few batters later, Pai'ala Wilcox-Molina ignited the Warrior dugout with a huge swing, blasting a three-run homer to right-center to cap off a four-run opening frame.

After a quiet second inning on both sides, Bushnell put together an impressive two-out rally—the biggest hit of which was a two-run double from Anabel Mendez—to plate three in the third, pulling within one.

That's where the score would stay until Wilcox-Molina continued her stellar day at the plate with a frozen rope RBI single off the base of the fence in left center, scoring a valuable insurance run for the Navy and Gold in the bottom of the sixth.  

CLICK HERE to watch Wilcox-Molina's postgame interview.

Corban (19-29, 12-15 CCC) will wrap up its 2022 regular-season slate this weekend with a challenging road series, heading down to Ashland, Ore. for a four-game set with No. 10-ranked Southern Oregon University on April 29 (2 p.m./4 p.m.) and April 30 (11 a.m./1 p.m.).

The Warriors will be battling for a spot in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Championships, alongside the Beacons, and this weekend's results will determine the qualifiers and seeding for the postseason tournament.

Currently, the Navy and Gold boasts a one-game advantage over Bushnell for the sixth and final spot in the CCC Tournament.