Freshman Tamara Feb began Corban's offensive fire power with her first career home run in Game #1, as the host Warriors swept conference rival Northwest Christian Tuesday to even its league record.
Pair of Long Balls Help Corban to Sweep of NCU
BOX SCORES – GAME #1 | GAME #2
SALEM, Ore. – Freshman Tamara Feb (Oregon City, Ore.) and Stephanie Nippert (Rocklin, Calif.) each hit their first career home runs in conference play, as Corban's softball team swept the visiting Beacons of Northwest Christian, 7-1 & 11-2 in five innings, Tuesday at Warrior Field.
Following today's double header sweep, Corban improves to 10-15 overall and 2-2 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Meanwhile, Northwest Christian falls to 10-16 and 0-4 in league games.
Senior Jessica Schell (Portland, Ore.) would put together the best all-around day for the Warriors, as she went a combined 4-for-6 at the plate that included three doubles to go along with two runs scored and five runs batted in. Nippert was a combined 4-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBI, while five Warriors – Feb, freshman Erica Fitzgerald (Beaverton, Ore.), senior Rebecca Franke (Pendleton, Ore.), junior Jessie Jones (Gladstone, Ore.), and freshman Liane DeHart (Kent, Wash.) – all registered two-or-more hits on the afternoon.
Junior Makenzie Marchbanks (Sweet Home, Ore.) would notch her team-leading 12th complete game of the season in the opener allowing one earned run over 7.0 innings on seven hits to go along with a game-high seven strikeouts. Marchbanks would return to the circle for the opening 2.0 innings of Game #2 before turning things over to sophomore Brittany Wagner (Oregon City, Ore.), who pitched 3.0 innings allowing two earned runs on six hits en route to picking up the win.
GAME #1 – CORBAN 7, NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN 1
The opening game would be a display of Corban's offensive fire power coupled with the outstanding pitching of Marchbanks.
After holding Northwest Christian without a hit in the opening inning, Corban came to the plate and scored three runs on four hits that included a RBI double down the left field line by Fitzgerald that allowed Jones and Nippert to score the Warriors' first two runs. The next batter – Schell – would trade places with Fitzgerald via another double down the left field line that plated Corban's third run of the at-bat.
Two innings later, Corban would get back-to-back infield singles by DeHart and Nippert before Feb cranked her first career home run over the left field fence that resulted in three runs batted in for an early 6-0 Warrior lead.
Corban would score its seventh and final run in the bottom of the fifth inning via a Nippert sacrifice fly to center field that brought home DeHart following her lead-off triple down the right field line.
Northwest Christian, who went without a hit until the top of the fourth inning, plated its lone run of the opener in its final at-bat via a Lissa Hatefi RBI single to left field that brought home Jonni Byrne for the final score of 7-1 in favor of the home team.
The visiting Beacons would get a pair of two-hit performances from Byrne and Brittany Robles, while Brooke Davis went the distance allowing seven earned runs on nine hits to go along with six K's.
GAME #2 – CORBAN 11, NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN 2 (5 INNINGS)
The finale would open with an burst of offensive firepower for Corban, as the host Warriors scored seven runs in the bottom of the first inning with the highlight coming off the bat of Nippert via a two-run, opposite-field home run over the right center field fence.
A pair of Beacon errors would open the bottom of the first, as Jones and DeHart reached base with back-to-back throwing errors that allowed Jones to score on NCU's second miscue. Nippert would follow up the two errors with her team-leading fourth home run of the season before Feb and Fitzgerald reached base via a single and double respectively. Schell would then bring home the aforementioned duo with a double to center field one batter after Northwest Christian recorded its first out. Franke would then drive in the Warriors' sixth run with a single to center field that allowed Schell to score before freshman Katie Steigleman (Eugene, Ore.) came home on the Beacons' third error of the inning for a seven-run Warrior lead.
Corban would score four more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning when senior Rachel Kazmierski (Eugene, Ore.) brought home Feb via a double to left center before Schell registered her 3rd and 4th RBI with a double to right center allowing Fitzgerald and Kazmierski to score. Sophomore pinch-hitter Rebecca Anni (Independence, Ore.) would bring home Corban's final run of the afternoon via a single up the middle that scored Schell and handed the host Warriors an 11-0 lead.
Northwest Christian would finally get on the board in the top of the fifth inning when Davis roped a bases loaded single down the left field line that allowed Byrne to score, but Emma Armstrong was thrown out at the plate thanks to a beautiful frozen rope throw from Franke to Feb for the second out of the inning. NCU's Cassie Bishop would bring home the visiting Beacons' final run of the afternoon with a single through the right side that scored Hatefi for the final score of 11-2 in favor of Corban.
Hatefi would lead the Beacons' bats with a perfect 2-for-2 performance, while five other NCU players registered one hit each. Kalyssa Koontz went the opening 3.0 innings for the Beacons allowing seven runs (one earned) on nine hits before giving way to Jenna Royce, who went the final inning allowing four earned runs on six hits.
Corban will return to the diamond on Friday, March 26th, for an afternoon double header against the Raiders of Southern Oregon beginning at 2:00 p.m. on Warrior Field.