Concordia Rallies to Capture CCC Championship
BOX SCORES -- GAME 2 : GAME 3
PORTLAND, Ore.— After dropping the opener in a best of three series against Corban on Friday, Concordia posted 4-3 and 8-1 wins in come from behind fashion to claim the Cascade Collegiate Conference championship and earn the league’s automatic bid into the NAIA Softball National Championships.
Concordia trailed 3-0 in the opener at Delta Park before scoring three runs in the fourth and the eventual game-winner in the sixth for the 4-3 win. After Corban jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the second game, the Cavaliers posted eight unanswered runs for the 8-1 win in the decisive third game.
With the wins, Concordia, ranked No. 4 in the NAIA as the No. 1 seed, improved to 34-5 on the season while Corban fell to 24-23 overall. The loss in the opener snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Warriors, who came into the tournament as eh No. 2 seed.
Game 2 Recap
Callahan Clutch as Cavs Even Series
PORTLAND, Ore.—In a must-win game where Concordia stranded 11 runners, Mallory Callahan drove in three of the team’s four runs as the Cavaliers edged Corban 4-3 to tie the best-of-three series for the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship.
Corban, who had defeated Southern Oregon to advance to play the top-seeded Cavaliers, opened the day with three hits in its first four at bats to jump out to an early 2-0 lead. Jessie Jones initiated the attack with a double to left center and was followed by a Liane Dehart single to right.
After a fly to center, Tamara Feb launched a single through the right side to score both runners. Still in the first, Jessica Schell reached on a single and stole second to give the Warriors another runner in scoring position, but Schell would remain at second as CU starter Danielle Pulfrey posted a strikeout to end the inning.
The Warriors added to its lead with a two-out solo home run by Rachel Kazmierski in the third and would be held there as Pulfrey and fellow CU pitcher Renee Santos kept Corban to just a single baserunner past first base in the final four innings.
Offensively, Concordia produced multiple baserunners in the first two innings but would remain scoreless until a three-run fourth squared the game. Tina Garcia started the spree in the fourth with a single to left and advanced to second on a walk to Kyndell Andrews. Corban starter Mackenzie Marchbanks forced a line drive to short for the second out but hit CU’s Laura Thorp with a pitch to load the bases for lead-off hitter Kayla Vickaryous.
Vickaryous then punched a ball to left to plate Garcia and Callahan followed by driving a ball to center to allow Andrews and Thorp to race home.
Marchbanks retired the side in order in the fifth but ran into trouble in the sixth as Andrews opened the stanza with a single down the left-field line. Courtney Wooden successfully bunted Andrews to second and Thorp sliced a single to right to give the Cavs runners at the corners with two outs to play with.
Vickaryous slapped the ball to third and reached safely on an error to set up a Callahan RBI single to left for the go-ahead run. With the bases still packed, Marchbanks prevented further damage by generating fly outs while facing CU’s heart of the lineup in shortstop Ali Paz and first baseman Cameron Way.
Concordia threatened to put distance on the Warriors in the seventh with runners on second and third, but Marchbanks once again held firm with a pop up to short and a harmless fly to left.
Jessica Pierce, coming in as a pinch hitter for Corban in the sixth, struck for a one-out single to center, but did not advance as Santos retired the final five batters she faces, including a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh to earn the win.
The Cavs outhit Corban 9-8 with Vickaryous and Callahan each finishing 2-for-4. Andrews ended the game with a 2-for-2 line which included a walk and a sacrifice while scoring a pair of runs.
The first six batters for Corban each registered at least one hit with Schell the lone Warrior with a 2-hit game.
Santos allowed just two hits and one walk over the final four frames for the pitcher of record for the Cavs. Marchbanks struck out four in the complete-game outing for Corban.
Game 3 Recap
Cavs Erupt for 17 Hits in CCC Clincher
PORTLAND, Ore.—With the Cascade Collegiate Conference automatic berth into the NAIA National Championships on the line, Concordia tallied 17 hits, one shy of a season high, en route to a 8-1 win over Corban on Saturday.
After watching Concordia leave the bases loaded in the top of the first, Corban utilized a pair of singles, including a two-out RBI knock to left by Tamara Feb to take an early 1-0 lead over the Cavaliers.
Concordia stranded two more in the second before finally breaking through in the third as the team sent eight batters to the plate in a three-run inning. Back-to-back fly outs to right started the inning for the Cavs before five straight hits gave CU the lead. Cameron Way and Becca Gawlista sent singles through the left side prior to a 2-run double to deep center by Tina Garcia gave CU a 2-1 lead.
Kyndell Andrews added to the Cavalier total with a single to center to plate Garcia.
Corban received back-to-back hits in the bottom of the third, including a lead-off double by Rachel Kazmierski, but could not take advantage as CU pitcher Danielle Pulfrey got out of the jam by extending to snare a come-backer to the pitchers’ circle for the second out while Ali Paz collected a sharply hit ball to short and fired to first to end the frame.
Concordia extended its advantage with two runs in the fourth with the aid of a pair of Corban errors and an RBI single by Garcia and added three more in the fifth as Paz and Cameron Way connected on back-to-back home runs for the 8-1 lead.
Pitching the final 4 2/3 innings, Pulfrey closed out the game for the win in a relief appearance. Pulfrey allowed five hits and one walk while striking out four in her scoreless outing. Corban’s Brittany Wagner was tagged with the loss after lasting 2 2/3 innings before being relieved by Mackenzie Marchbanks.
Eight of the nine CU starters recorded at least one hit with Way leading the squad with a 4-for-5 performance at the plate. Vickaryous went 3-for-5 with two runs scored.
Feb led the Warriors with two hits and the team’s lone RBI.
After stranding 11 runners in the first game Concordia left a dozen runners on base in the second while Corban stranded 16 in the doubleheader, including nine in the finale.