KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – For a second-consecutive season, the Corban University Softball program traveled down to southern Oregon and absolutely bewildered a top-tier nationally ranked opponent, this time stunning No. 2-ranked Oregon Tech in their Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) opener, downing the Lady Owls 2-1 in a comeback victory for the ages. In the doubleheader night cap contest, OIT salvaged a day one split via a 7-1 decision to restart their winning streak that the Warriors snapped to open their weekend series in the Klamath Basin.
"Today was fun, the girls went out and competed hard for 21 outs to start off our weekend," said Corban head coach Jeff Covalt following his team's massive road upset. "Breanna and Brookelynne had outstanding at-bats to seal the comeback, and Miranda had her best outing of the season for us to pick up her first win. It was a total team effort to get us to that point against a great team in OIT. Even considering the game two result, I couldn't be happier of today's performances and efforts."
Game 1 | Corban 2, No. 2 Oregon Tech 1
The CCC-leading Lady Owls (28-4, 12-2) were riding a ten-game winning streak with four-game sweeps over Warner Pacific University and RV University of British Columbia, marking their third-consecutive series played at Stilwell Stadium on their own home turf. Meanwhile, the Warriors (3-21, 3-11) entered fresh off a four-game sweep at the hands of No. 3-ranked Southern Oregon University in Salem, where they allowed 35 runs over the series while scoring three runs themselves.
Still in search of her first win this season, sophomore starting pitcher Miranda Scovil gave Covalt and her teammates everything she had in today's opener, allowing just a single earned run in the bottom of the fifth inning to keep the Navy and Gold in this contest. While they were able to sprinkle in some hits offensively every now and then against OIT starting pitcher Kristine Schmidt, who was undefeated at 12-0 entering today's contest and represented the reigning CCC Pitcher of the Week, all looked grim as a quick two outs in the top of the seventh appeared to be the final stand for the Warriors.
However, senior third baseman Leata Senio kickstarted the come-from-behind rally after earning a six-pitch walk, staving off the final strike of the contest twice to put the tying run aboard. Covalt then opted to pinch hit freshman outfielder Brookelynne Morley for a fresh at-bat, where she smashed a 2-2 pitch into the right centerfield gap to score Senio all the way from first base on her first career RBI triple. With the contest now knotted at 1-1, senior centerfielder Breanna Crosby blooped the first pitch she saw from Schmidt into shallow right field, scoring Morley from third and reversing Scovil's tenth loss of the year into a 2-1 lead for the Albany native.
Just three outs away from the program's first win over Tech since the 2021 season, Scovil slammed the door emphatically by striking out her first batter, followed by an induced lineout and popup to left field to shock the entire NAIA. Scovil needed just under 100 pitches to earn the complete game one-run, seven-hit victory over No. 2-ranked OIT, where she struck out three Owls and walked just one. In the home team dugout, Schmidt was charged with her first loss of the season against a 3-20 Corban club, punching out eight Warriors while her walk to Senio with two outs in the top of the seventh represented her lone free pass of the contest.
In addition to the game-tying triple and go-ahead single from Morley and Crosby, respectively, Senio picked up a hit earlier in the game alongside base knocks from freshman catcher Shelby Hillyer, senior designated player Peyton Foreman, and freshman rightfielder Irene VanDyke. Prior to today's series opener, the Warriors had registered two triples hit all season long. Today, they doubled that output thanks to Morley and VanDyke.
Lady Owls' third baseman Addison Kachnik finished 2-for-2 in game one with the lone RBI for the hometown team, with leftfielder Leah Huffman adding a multi-hit outing herself from the seven-hole. Rightfielder Brooklyn Loose scored Tech's only run.
Game 2 | No. 2 Oregon Tech 7, Corban 1
A fielding error in the bottom of the first inning by the Warriors ultimately turned the momentum from their stunning game one victory back to the Lady Owls, as OIT batted around to score three runs and slowly tacked on runs over the remainder of the contest. Corban senior starting pitcher Kate Banks limited Tech to just five earned runs across 5.1 innings pitched alongside three punchouts, though the Owls' game two starter Alli Parker avenged their earlier loss with a 6.0 inning effort where she permitted one earned run off three hits while striking out nine batters.
Morley scored the Warriors' lone run in the second contest of today's doubleheader, as VanDyke singled to centerfield in the fifth to avoid the shutout. Foreman kept her bat hot with a 2-for-3 game two effort, while Hillyer picked up another base hit to extend her own hit-streak.
After being held hitless in game one by Scovil, Tech first baseman Puakea Milbourne plated three RBI in game two behind two hits and scored two runs herself to personally provide five of OIT's seven runs. Huffman registered another two RBI, while centerfielder Malia Mick joined Milbourne in the multi-hit club with two hits in three at-bats.
The Warriors and Lady Owls will close out their four-game series tomorrow morning, with the final conference-counter at 11am and the non-conference matchup beginning directly after game three around 1pm.
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