SALEM, Ore. – The go-ahead and winning run came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning of game two today for the Corban University Softball team, yet the Carroll College Saints were able to find the last few outs they needed in each contest to snag a day one sweep over the Warriors with 5-2 and 8-6 road wins on Warrior Field.

"A pair of tough losses today," Warriors' head coach Danyelle Huber stated. "Syd had some clutch hitting for us and Lola had great at-bats as well in game two. Still just one or two plays away from taking some games from the teams in our strong conference in a game that's all about inches."

Game 1 - Carroll 5, Corban 2

The visiting Saints (9-12-1, 5-5) hopped out to a first inning lead in both the first and second games today, as they kicked off the opener with a pair of runs off Warriors' sophomore starting pitcher Vanesa Quinones on an RBI double and single in back-to-back at-bats. Carroll continued their hot hitting into the bottom of the second where they scored three more runs to push their advantage to 5-0 on the scoreboard.

However, Quinones settled in and kept the Saint away from home plate for the remainder of the game, allowing her offense the opportunity to salvage a comeback attempt over the last few innings of play. In the bottom of the sixth, the Warriors were finally able to break through Carroll starting pitcher Kennedy Venner thanks to a clutch at-bat by graduate student first baseman Sydney Spickelmier.

With a pair of speedy runners on first and third represented by senior catcher Samantha Martinez and junior centerfielder Jody Fischer, Spickermier blasted a double to the centerfielder fence that allowed both runs to trot around and cut the deficit to three runs with the heart of their order due up.

With the pressure now weighing on Venner to deny the Warriors a game one come-from-behind victory, the Billings, Montana native rose to the occasion and struck out the side to end the game, allowing her team to pick up a crucial road conference win to start their weekend in Salem.

Quinones was responsible for the loss today after allowing five earned runs off eight Carroll hits, walking three batters and striking out one. Venner was a strikeout machine for the Saints, securing 11 punchouts en route to the victory with two runs, two hits, and three walks permitted.

Spickelmier and Fischer were responsible for the two hits Corban's offense saw in the series opener, with the Willamette Valley native in Spickelmier adding two RBI to her season totals. Three different Saints had multi-hit outings in game one, led by designated player Sammie Labrum who finished with two hits, two RBI, and a run scored.

Game 2 - Carroll 8, Corban 6

In similar fashion to their start in game one, the Saints racked up four first inning runs in the nightcap contest, scoring the first two runs on a single before the Warriors surrendered a pair of unearned runs following a fielding error that allowed the inning to continue.

Despite the 4-0 deficit, Corban showed life right off the bat in their own offense half of the first, cutting the Carroll lead to a single run as the lineup found different ways to reach base and hang tough on their own home field.

In the bottom of the second, junior designated player Lola Benjamin forced the Saints into an awkward fielding situation that resulted in an error, allowing Martinez to score and tie this contest at four runs apiece after a first inning that saw both teams move away from their starting pitchers before the inning had ended.

Carroll jumped back in front the very next frame thanks to shortstop Brooklyn Dryer, as she smashed a single through the left side of the infield that allowed two runs to score. They padded their lead in the top of the fourth with a single run, which would end up proving to represent the winning run when all was said and done.

Two runs in the Warriors' bottom of the fourth saw the go-ahead run come to the plate, but Carroll shut down any further scoring in the frame and challenged Corban to find the runs they needed over the last three innings instead. A sixth inning score by the Saints stretched the lead to 8-6 entering the last nine outs of the game, putting the Navy and Gold in fight-or-flight mode, and eventually had runners in scoring position in both the bottom of the sixth and seventh, but couldn't quite find the final hit they needed to complete their second comeback bid in as many games this afternoon.

Senior starting pitcher Alise Olson avoided the decision after a rough beginning to game one, as she allowed the first four runs of the game to Carroll before sophomore relief pitcher Amy Jankowski entered for the next 4.1 innings of work. Despite appearing with a 4-4 tie, Jankowski allowed the next four runs to score to accept her first loss of the season on her record, while sophomore reliever Kate Banks made an appearance over the last 2.0 innings and saw no runs scored under her watch off two hits.

Saints' starter Mackenzie Deapoli was also benefited with a no decision after her own scary opening, allowing three runs off two hits and three early walks. Relief pitcher Abbie Amend picked up her second win of the season by tossing the last 6.1 innings, allowing three runs off seven hits and four walks, but struck out four Corban batters along the way.

The Warriors' offense tallied a season-high nine hits in game two, with multi-hit appearances by Spickelmier and redshirt junior shortstop Cambria Kerze who each had a pair of base hits. Martinez scored a pair of runs from the leadoff spot in the lineup, while senior third baseman Sarah Parker picked up the game-high RBI count with two today.

It was a complete team effort by the Carroll lineup to complete the day one sweep, as they spread 11 team hits out over 10 different players, with first baseman Kaitlynn Ayers the only student-athlete in the Saints dugout with more than one hit. Dryden and Labrum each tallied two RBI in the game two win for Carroll.

The Warriors and Saints will be back on Corban's campus tomorrow morning for the final two games of their series, beginning at 11am weather permitting.

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