HILLSBORO, Ore. – Rain, hail, and sleet were all on deck for the Corban University Softball team (7-28, 5-18) in a neutral site Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) tripleheader against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (21-13, 14-9), falling via scores of 3-1, 9-1, and 9-0 at the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex.
"It was great to see a lot of the girls see some action on the field this afternoon," Warriors' Head Coach Danyelle Huber shared. "An all-around team effort and saw some great improvement in our defense today."
Game 1 – UBC 3, Corban 1
A first inning sacrifice fly to score a run by the Thunderbirds was nullified in the top of the fourth, as junior first baseman Paia'ala Wilcox-Molina blasted a solo-shot over the right-centerfield fence to tie the contest at 1-1.
However, British Columbia got exactly what they needed offensively from their starting pitcher in Shea Sever, who singled with two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the sixth inning to lead the Thunderbirds to a neutral site victory in game one, as the two-run base hit proved to stand as the final score at 3-1.
Freshman starting pitcher Vanesa Hulett-Quinones stood strong for the first five innings, but couldn't hold on in the sixth to take the loss in a 6.0 inning, five-hit, and solo strikeout performance.
Sever took home the victory after allowing just one earned run on three hits, walking five batters, and striking out a game-high nine batters.
The Warriors spread around three hits in game one, with Wilcox-Molina's home run standing as the lone run and RBI. Sophomore centerfielder Jody Fischer and freshman shortstop Kailey Betz were responsible for the remaining base hits.
The top four batters for UBC managed five hits in 10 at-bats, but the remainder of the lineup struggled to find the basepaths in the Thunderbirds' victory. Shortstop Mia Valcke and Sever led the pack with a pair of hits each.
Game 2 – UBC 9, Corban 1 (6 Innings)
Wilcox-Molina once again provided the Warriors with opportune at-bats in the top of the first inning in game two, singling to left-centerfield that gave Fischer more than enough time to jot home.
The Thunderbirds responded the very next frame to take what would prove to be a permanent lead, as they loaded the bases with no outs and scored a pair of runs via a single from catcher Olivia Malesku and fielder's choice from centerfielder Hanna Hansen.
Despite scoring just one more run in the bottom of the second, Corban was able to keep British Columbia off the scoreboard for the next three innings, but another pitchers' duel was quickly put to rest with a six-run bottom of the sixth inning by UBC to enact the run rule at 9-1.
Warriors' freshman starting pitcher Amy Jankowski stood strong through diversity over the first five innings but couldn't find the pitches necessary to escape the sixth inning after failing to record an out in the frame, allowing eight runs on seven hits while working eight batters in the loss. Senior relief pitcher Alise Olson closed out the game by securing an out and allowing a single run on two hits.
UBC starting pitcher Lindsay Bell secured her seventh win of the season by allowing just the opening frame run to the Navy and Gold, striking out five and walking another five in 3.1 innings of work. Sever finished the remaining 2.2 innings to the sound of only one hit and no runs.
Thunderbirds' first baseman Kaitlyn Eng tallied a pair of hits, a run scored and an RBI in her first plate appearances of the day, while Hansen added two more hits and a trio of RBI, including the run-rule walkoff base hit.
Game 3 – UBC 9, Corban 0 (5 Innings)
A two-run homer to kickstart the first inning off the bat of Thunderbirds' second baseman Keona Nordquist set the pace in game three of the afternoon, leading to a 9-0 run-rule by the Canadian squad that completed the three-game sweep of the Warriors.
Hulett-Quinones was responsible for the loss in game three, falling to 4-12 on the season after allowing seven runs via five hits and a single walk in 2.0 innings. Graduate student relief pitcher Madison Wyllie and Olson combined for 2.0 innings pitched following the departure of Hulett-Quinones, allowing two runs on one hit in total.
British Columbia's starting pitcher Shelby Kempel nearly tossed a no-hitter in the Thunderbirds' final game of their road trip, allowing just a fifth-inning single to Warriors' sophomore shortstop Cambria Kerze. She struck out nine batters along the way and walked only two hitters.
Hansen continued her consistency at the plate in game three with two more hits and three RBI, while Nordquist's first-inning blast accounted for another two RBI.
The Warriors will next complete their CCC matchups with I-5 rival Bushnell University (11-28, 7-16) in Eugene this upcoming Tuesday at 3pm and 5pm PDT.
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