McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Despite jumping out to their first lead of the season in the very first inning, the Corban University Softball team wasn't able to keep pace with NCAA Linfield University en route to an 8-1 road loss in their first midweek contest of the 2025 regular season.
"Really proud of how our ladies made adjustments coming out of the weekend," shared head coach Jeff Covalt. "We are making better decisions and the progress is clearly being made on a daily basis."
For the first time in their five-game span to start the season, the Warriors (0-5) scored a run in the opening inning and secured their first lead in a contest after back-to-back hits by junior leftfielder Gianna Redman and junior catcher Kassandra Douglas gave Corban runners at first and second with no outs. Two batters later, true freshman second baseman Regan Rasmussen tapped a soft dribbler to second base for a groundout, allowing Redman to score from third in the process.
However, the Wildcats, who were utilizing this contest as a scrimmage in their season opener, recorded four runs in the bottom of the first frame to flip a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 lead, which they held for the next 3.0 innings before adding three more in the fourth to open up a 7-1 advantage on their home field.
The Navy and Gold would go on to record five more hits over the contest, yet were unable to plate anymore runs before Linfield added another in the bottom of the sixth before holding Corban scoreless in the seventh for the 8-1 Wednesday night victory.
Warriors' senior starting pitcher Sage Vanterpool tossed 2.0 innings and allowed four earned runs on five hits, walking two batters while striking out two as well. True freshman reliever Miranda Scovil allowed another five hits in 3.2 innings, yet all four runs scored against her were unearned due to a Corban fielding error that would have ended the inning. Senior relief pitcher Emmaleena Wood secured the final out for the Navy and Gold defense with a hit batter on the prior at-bat.
Wildcats' starter Ashlyn Aven saw the Corban run scored under her watch while allowing four hits in 4.0 innings, while reliever Lacey Vasas distributed three hits across 3.0 frames. Each of the Linfield pitchers recorded just one strikeouts against Warrior batters.
Douglas and junior shortstop Isabel Carattini led the Warriors' offense with two base hits apiece, while Rasmussen registered the team's RBI and Redman scored the run with a base hit of her own. Sophomore centerfielder Breanna Crosby recorded the only other base hit of the game for Corban.
Leftfielder Breanna Bartek and centerfielder Hadley Dunham were the only Wildcat hitters with multi-hit outings, as Bartek was a perfect 3-for-3 and scored runs on all three trips around the bases while Dunham recorded two hits, an RBI, and a run scored. The play of the night at the plate came off the bat of catcher Emily Foytack, who launched a bases-clearing double to double Linfield's lead and gave her a game-high three RBI.
Corban softball will be back in action this upcoming Saturday against yet another NCAA DIII program, this time against crosstown rival Willamette University (1-1) with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 12pm at the Bearcats' home softball field just off campus.
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