ASHLAND, Ore. – In quite possibly the biggest upset across the country this season, the Corban University Softball team kicked their 21-game losing streak to the curb earlier this afternoon in an incredible 9-8 victory over the No. 1-ranked Southern Oregon University Raiders, earning their first win over SOU since the 2019 season to shock the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) and greater NAIA. The Raiders (34-4, 16-2) completed the conference sweep with an 8-0 run-rule win in game three before the Warriors (2-31, 1-17) put together their single best complete game effort of the year to hand the nation's leading team only their fourth loss of the year.
"I'm proud of our ladies beyond words," Corban head coach Jeff Covalt shared shortly after their takedown of the NAIA's top program. "Working through adversity is a learned skill, and our team has grown tremendously from it. It was a fun day, and a testimony to their hard work and resiliency against the best team in the country."
Game 1 – No. 1 SOU 8, Corban 0 (5 Innings)
Looking to wrap up a CCC series sweep of the Warriors, the Raiders tacked on a single run in both the first and third innings before a four-run fourth put the contest out of reach for Corban's offense, as the reigning NAIA Pitcher of the Week, starter Ayla Davies, tossed a complete game one-hitter which promptly ended in the bottom of the fifth on a walk-off two-run triple for SOU.
True freshman starting pitcher Miranda Scovil was responsible for the loss in game one of today's doubleheader, as she allowed eight runs, only four of which were earned, across 4.1 frames on eight hits while striking out a game-high five Raiders. Meanwhile, Davies improved to 20-2 on the year with four punchouts.
Scovil ruined Davies' perfect game bid herself at the plate with Corban's lone hit in the doubleheader opener, as she reached safely on a base hit to second to lead off the top of the fifth.
Raiders' designated player Faith Moultrie went 2-for-3 with two RBI while third baseman Brooke Nordahl matched with two hits of her own in three plate appearances while logging a game-high three RBI and scored a run.
Game 2 – Corban 9, No. 1 SOU 8
After each team went scoreless through the opening frame of the non-conference contest to wrap up the four-game series, the Navy and Gold offense unloaded in the top of the second with an impressive seven runs scored to chase SOU starter Tatiana Blas from the contest, all four of her runs crossing unearned while reliever Kennedy Kila was charged with another three runs. A fielding error by the Raiders allowed the inning to originally progress, but every run to score by the Warriors was off a base hit with RBI aplenty recorded for the starting lineup.
Surrendering the most runs in a single inning of any contest thus far in 2025 sparked Southern Oregon's offense to score four immediately in the bottom of the second, yet a pitching change of Coach Covalt's own put the Raiders' rally on ice and instead sent the contest to the top of the third where junior centerfielder Regan McDaniel squeeze bunted to score senior second baseman Alexis Figueroa from third.
SOU tallied a run in the bottom of the fourth, but Corban's answered right back once again in the fifth thanks to a bases loaded wild pitch that scored junior leftfielder Jose Landis and pushed the contest to a 9-5 score in favor of Corban.
A rocky bottom of the sixth saw the Raiders pull to within a single run after scoring three unearned runs against Scovil, but the true freshman was able to buckle down and prevent any further damage to head to the final inning of regulation. Coach Covalt gave Scovil the ball once again and trusted the Albany native to close out the contest against one of four ranked opponents in the CCC, where she delivered in the clutch to pick up her first win of the year and help break a six-year winless run against the Raiders.
Scovil was ruled the winning pitcher after tossing 3.1 innings and allowing just three unearned runs to score off five hits while striking out a Raider. Junior starting pitcher Vanesa Quinones and junior reliever Kate Banks combined for 3.2 innings and allowed five runs off ten hits, with Quinones punching out a pair of SOU batters.
It took five different Southern Oregon pitchers to manage the Warriors' offense in game two of the doubleheader, needing to rely on Davies once again just to avoid a double-digit run total to the Navy and Gold in the fifth. Blas was credited with the loss, while the first three pitchers the Corban offense faced were all tagged for runs and a handful of hits, striking out just once all game.
Six different Warriors had at least two base hits in their road victory over SOU, including true freshman catcher Destinee Estrada who finished 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Figueroa went 3-for-4 as well with a pair of runs scored. McDaniel finished with a game-high three RBI on two hits and a run scored from the nine-hole in the lineup. Joining McDaniel with two hits apiece included Landis, junior rightfielder Gianna Redman, and freshman third baseman Regan Rasmussen.
A trio of Raiders secured three-hit outings, but it wasn't enough to secure the series sweep of Corban as leadoff hitter and centerfielder Sarah Kerling finished 3-for-5 with a run scored while designated player Kailer Fulton matched Kerling in hits and also scored a run but added two RBI as well.
Corban softball will return to their home field for a two-week homestand to conclude their hosting responsibilities for the 2025 spring season, as they'll host I-5 rival Bushnell University (8-22, 3-14) beginning on Saturday, April 12th at 1/3pm.
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