SALEM, Ore. – It all finally came together today for the Corban University Softball team (4-13, 3-5), as the Warriors had both the offense and defense clicking in a pair of victories over the Bushnell University Beacons (4-15, 1-7), taking game one 9-6 before securing the sweep with a 7-2 final score in game two.
"Today was a full team effort," Corban Head Coach Danyelle Huber shared on her team's efforts this afternoon. "They started strong and finished even stronger on their home field. I'm proud of every single one of them showing up for each other. The bats came alive at clutch opportunities, our pitchers came ready and with a solid defense behind them. Things keep falling into place, one pitch at a time."
Game 1 – Corban 9, Bushnell 6
The Navy and Gold offense was aggressive early and often against the Beacons in both contests, starting with two runs in the bottom of the first of game one via a bases loaded fielder's choice and sacrifice fly to centerfield, giving Corban an immediate 2-0 lead.
Bushnell tied the game the very next inning with back-to-back hits to kickstart the two-run inning, then a two-out RBI single from third baseman Bryana Yoshida sent us to the bottom of the second inning locked in a 2-2 stalemate.
The tie didn't last for very long, as the Beacons found two quick outs before the next four Warriors would reach base, with junior first baseman Paia'ala Wilcox-Molina securing the first RBI and freshman catcher Kailey Betz doubling the next at bat to score Wilcox-Molina and sophomore second baseman Chas Walch in the process, providing Corban with a 5-2 advantage on their home field.
The pitching staffs for each team settled in over the next three innings, with the Warriors scoring the next runs of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. They tacked on four more runs to stretch their lead to 9-2, with Wilcox-Molina leading the charge with two more RBI.
While the Warriors fell within a single run of run-ruling the Beacons, Bushnell did everything they could to stay in this game by doubling their lead on a single play, as designated player Molly Haley singled to right field and allowed two runs to cross the plate before she was thrown out stretching at second base to end the inning.
After a quiet sixth inning for Corban's offense, the Beacons made one final stand in the top of the seventh by scoring another two runs, but the hole they dug themselves in throughout the game left too much of a deficit to overcome, leading to game one falling to the hometown Warriors, 9-6.
Freshman starting pitcher Vanessa Hulett-Quinones pitched a complete game and allowed a game-high 11 hits and six runs, but also managed a game-high four strikeouts and was able to pitch around multiple scenarios to earn her second win of the season.
Beacons' starting pitcher Leslie Reynaga took the loss in game one after allowing five runs on three hits, walking four batters and striking out a pair through 1.2 innings of work, while relief pitcher Jada Young closed out the contest with 4.1 innings, eight hits, four runs, and struck out another two Corban batters.
Wilcox-Molina led the Warriors with three RBI on two hits, while Betz tallied three RBI as well on just one hit. Freshman leftfielder Josie Landis and junior designated player Morgan Gleeson were the other two Warriors with multi-hit games with a pair of hits apiece.
Three different Beacons logged multi-hit games in game one, led by Yoshida's two hits and solo RBI. First baseman Hannah Tennant also provided two hits and scored two runs for Bushnell.
Game 2 – Corban 7, Bushnell 2
Despite a bases loaded scenario for the Warriors in the bottom of the first inning of game two, they managed to score only one run via yet another RBI single from Wilcox-Molina, scoring sophomore pinch runner Jaden South from second base.
Two innings later, Corban added two more runs thanks to Wilcox-Molina and graduate student right fielder Madison Wyllie, who each doubled to score a run on each play and now give the Navy and Gold a 3-0 lead.
They doubled their advantage the next inning with some more heavy hitting, as it was Gleeson's turn to double down the right field line and plate two runs in the process. Wilcox-Molina tacked on yet another RBI on the day with another sacrifice fly, as Corban was easily in control of game two through four innings, now leading 6-0.
The Beacons finally scored their first run of the back half of the doubleheader in the top of the fifth on a single from centerfielder Alyssa Ferreira that scored starting pitcher Sam Silver in the process. However, the Warriors countered in their bottom half of the inning with a run of their own, as junior second baseman Samantha Martinez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded that brought in a run, leading to a 7-1 score through five innings.
Each team threatened in the sixth inning but couldn't find home plate, leading to one last chance for the Beacons in the top of the seventh. Just like in game one, Bushnell scored in their final inning once again, but another road comeback bid fell short to lead to the sweep for Corban Softball.
Sophomore starting pitcher Emmaleena Wood earned her first win of the season in a major performance for the transfer, as she pitched 5.1 innings of one-run and three-hit ball, striking out a quartet of batters in the process. Freshman relief pitcher Amy Jankowski allowed just one run on two hits through 1.1 innings of work, while Hulett-Quinones entered for the final Beacon at bat, needing only one pitch to earn the groundout to close out the win for Wood.
Silver accepted defeat for the Beacons in a complete 6.0 innings pitched, striking out two batters en route to allowing 11 hits and seven runs.
In another dominate performance at the plate, Wilcox-Molina tacked on three more RBI to earn six on the day thanks to another pair of hits, while Gleeson capped off a perfect 2-for-2 game two with two RBI and a run scored.
Bushnell spread out five hits over five student-athletes, led by Ferreira and shortstop Krystal Akagi who each recorded a hit and an RBI, with Ferreira also scoring a run.
The Warriors return to action on their home field once again this upcoming Friday at 1pm and 3pm PST, as they'll host Warner Pacific University (0-8, 0-6) for the first of two doubleheaders in another Cascade Collegiate Conference matchup.
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