Steigleman Powers Corban to Split With Pioneers of Cal State East Bay
SALEM, Ore. – Junior Rachel Steigleman (Eugene, Ore.) went a combined 3-for-8 that included her first home run of the season with three RBI and one run scored, but Corban's softball team split an afternoon double header with the Pioneers of California State University East Bay, 11-7 & 4-5, Saturday at Warrior Field.
In today’s opener, Corban fell behind after the game’s first at-bat as East Bay scored via a Warrior fielding error. Corban came back in its half of the first inning, as sophomore Jessie Jones (Gladstone, Ore.) led off the at-bat with a single to left field before advancing to second via a pass ball. During the same at-bat, Jones advanced to third thanks to a stolen base before coming home on East Bay’s throwing error in an attempt to get Jones out at third.
After watching the visiting Pioneers score single runs in the second and third inning en route to grabbing a 3-1 lead, Corban put three runs across the plate in the bottom of the third inning via three hits. Jones singled to short before stealing second with one out, as junior Rebecca Franke (Pendleton, Ore.) walked in the Warriors’ next at-bat. Sophomore Jennifer Kollaer (Albany, Ore.) then walked to the plate and registered a single up the middle that brought Jones home and cut the Warriors’ deficit to one run (3-2). After advancing both runners one base via a pass ball, Steigleman singled to right field to bring Franke home and knotted the game at 3-all. With runners on first and third, Steigleman and Kollaer executed a perfect double steal with Kollaer stealing home to give Corban a one-run lead.
East Bay tied the score at 4-4 thanks to a triple by Amanda Tietz that plated pinch-runner Sarah Davini. Unfortunately for the visiting Pioneers, Corban put four more runs on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning thanks to five hits and three East Bay errors.
The Warriors’ top four hitters registered hits in the fourth frame, as Jones, Franke, Kollaer, and Steigleman got a single, double, single, and single respectively. Jones began the Warriors’ scoring with an RBI single that plated senior Megan Gaylord (Portland, Ore.) before Franke doubled to left field allowing Jones to score. Following an infield single by Kollaer, Steigleman drove home her second run of the game via an infield single that scored Kollaer and put Corban up 8-4.
In the fifth inning, East Bay pulled within a single run (8-7) thanks to a two-run double to left field by Kendra Mason.
Corban tacked on three more insurance runs in the sixth inning, as Franke double down the left field line allowing Jones to score her fourth run of the game. The very next batter – Kollaer – brought Franke home with another double to left field before coming home herself on a Pioneer error to cap the game’s scoring.
Jones and Kollaer led the Warriors’ offense with three hits each, while Franke and Steigleman had two hits and two RBI apiece.
Senior Karlee Sisler (Corvallis, Ore.) began the game in the circle and went the first 4.0 innings allowing four runs (two earned) on seven hits before turning the ball over to a pair of relievers. Kollaer faced three batters in the fifth innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on one hit before freshman Brittany Wagner (Oregon City, Ore.) came in and shut down East Bay’s offense for the final 3.0 innings. Sisler picked up her first victory of the season, while Wagner earned the save thanks to her four-hit, shut-out relief performance.
In the night cap, East Bay put four runs on the board over the first two innings before Corban scored four runs in the third inning to knot the game at 4-all.
Freshman Twyla Baggarley (Hillsboro, Ore.) led off with a double down the left field line before Gaylord singled to left field to put runners on first and third. Following a Gaylord stolen base, Jones singled through the left side allowing Baggarley to score and Gaylord to advance to third. Unfortunately, Jones was thrown out at second in an attempt to stretch her single into a double. After a Franke sacrifice fly to deep left field that allowed Gaylord to score, Kollaer belted her first home run of the season off the top of the left field fence to bring the Warriors within one run (4-3). The very next batter – Steigleman – answered Kollaer’s home run with a four-bagger of her own that sailed over the left field fence and tied the game at 4-4.
After two scoreless innings, East Bay plated a single run in the top of the sixth inning when Tietz registered her second triple of the afternoon. Following Tietz’s two-out triple, Alyssa Johnson drove home the eventual game-winning run via a line drive that tip off Corban’s shortstop’s glove.
Trailing by a single run in its final at-bat, Corban got a one-out single from Jones before Franke reached via a fielder’s choice as East Bay attempted to get Jones at second base. After advancing one base via a wild pitch, the Warriors had runners at second and third with their third and fourth place hitters coming to the plate. Following East Bay's Peterson's ninth strike out of the afternoon, Corban was induced into a game-ending fly out to center field that handed East Bay its first victory of the season.
Jones led the Warriors’ offense with a two-hit, one-RBI performance, while six other Corban players – Franke, Kollaer, Steigleman, Sisler, Baggarley, and Gaylord – registered a hit each.
Wagner began the game in the circle for the Warriors, as she went the first 2.0 innings allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits before giving way to Baggarley for the game’s final 5.0 innings of work. The first-year Warrior allowed one earned run on four hits to go along with two K’s, but suffered the loss.
East Bay was led offensively by Justine Watson, who was a perfect 4-for-4 in the opener and registered a run-scoring hit in the finale.
With the split, Corban is now 3-5 overall and East Bay prepares for its final two games in Oregon with a 1-3 record. The Warriors are back in action on Monday, February 16th, when they travel north to Forest Grove to take on NCAA Division III member Pacific beginning at 4:00 p.m. at Sherman/Larkins Stadium.