Sophomore Stephanie Nippert deposited her team and conference-leading 12th home run of the season over the fence Friday against The College of Idaho.
Corban-C of I Split on Walk-Off Home Run
BOX SCORES – GAME #1 | GAME #2
SALEM, Ore. – Sophomore Stephanie Nippert (Rocklin, Calif.) hit her record-breaking 12th home run of the season in walk-off fashion, as Corban's softball team earned a split with nationally-ranked College of Idaho, 1-2 & 2-1, Friday afternoon on Warrior Field.
Nippert also led the Warriors' offense with a combined 5-for-8 performance that included a run scored and one run batted in, while junior Abbie Pynch (Stayton, Ore.) and sophomore Liane DeHart (Kent, Wash.) each went a combined 2-for-8 at the plate.
Senior Makenzie Marchbanks (Sweet Home, Ore.) would pitch a combined 10.1 innings in the double header, as she suffered the heart-breaking loss in the opener before picking up the win in relief in the night cap. Junior Emma Winckler (Eltopia, Wash.) went the opening 4.2 innings in Game #2 allowing one earned run on four hits with three strikeouts.
GAME #1 – COLLEGE OF IDAHO 2, CORBAN 1
In the opener, Corban would get on the board first in the bottom of the second inning when sophomore Tamara Feb (Oregon City, Ore.) led off with a triple down the right field line before scoring on a double by freshman Courtney Castronovo (Salem, Ore.) one batter later making the score 1-0 in favor of the Warriors.
The College of Idaho would get on the board in the top of the fourth inning when Kalie Kurdy walked with one out before advancing to second on Nickalya Skinner's single through the left side. Following a strikeout, C of I's Caylin LePire roped a double to center field that scored Kurdy to tie the game (1-1) before Skinner was thrown out at home attempting to score the go-ahead run.
In the top of the sixth inning, The College of Idaho's Nikki Shumway drew a lead off walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Hannah Johnson. A Kurdy single to left center would move Shumway to third, as she came home during the Coyotes' next at-bat on a wild pitch to make the score 2-1 in favor of the visiting team.
The score would remain a one-run game until the bottom of the seventh inning when Corban got a lead-off single by Pynch before she advanced to second on a pass ball. After two outs, sophomore Rachel Conard (Merlin, Ore.) had a chance to either tie or win the game with one hit. With the count 2-0, Conard lifted a deep fly into left center field that cleared the fence only to be brought back into the field of play by Shumway via a highlight reel catch that robbed the first-year Warrior of the game-winning home run and sent C of I's bench into a frenzy of celebration.
Nippert led Corban's offense with a 3-for-4 performance, while Pynch and DeHart each went 2-for-4 at the plate. Marchbanks went the distance collecting her team-leading 11th complete game of the season allowing two earned runs on seven hits with a game-high nine strikeouts.
Skinner led The College of Idaho both offensively thanks to a 2-for-3 showing and in the circle, as the first-year Coyote went the distance allowing one earned run on 10 hits with seven K's en route to picking up her team-leading 11th win of the season.
GAME #2 – CORBAN 2, COLLEGE OF IDAHO 1 (8 INNINGS)
In the finale, The College of Idaho struck with the game's opening run in the top of the first inning when Shumway led off with a bunt single before moving to second on a Johnson sacrifice bunt. After a Kurdy single, Skinner brought home Shumway on a ground out making the score 1-0 in favor of the Coyotes.
Corban would knot the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning when Winckler reached on a two-out C of I error before Castronovo walked and sophomore Erica Fitzgerald (Beaverton, Ore.) loaded the bases when she got on base thanks to another Coyote error. Freshman Lounette Jackson (Escalon, Calif.) would then poke the ball through the left side to bring home Winckler and tied the game.
Neither team would score again through seven innings to force extra play, as Corban got out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the eighth inning before Nippert battled through a 10-pitch at-bat en route to depositing her single-season school-record breaking 12th home run of the year 240 feet over the left field fence for the game-winner (2-1).
Despite hitting a school-record 23 career home runs to date, Nippert had never ended a game with a round-tripper until today.
Corban's offense was led by a two-hit performance by Nippert, while Pynch, DeHart, and Jackson registered a hit each. Winckler went the opening 4.2 innings for the Warriors before Marchbanks took over for the final 3.1 innings allowing a mere two hits with a pair of strikeouts.
The College of Idaho was led offensively by Kurdy, who was 2-for-4 at the plate, while Britney Croner went the opening 7.0 innings allowing one unearned run on four hits in a no-decision. Skinner took the ball to open the eighth inning and suffered the heart-breaking loss thanks to a 3-2 fastball that Nippert deposited beyond the fence for the game-winner.
With today's split, Corban moves to 16-13 overall and 8-6 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Meanwhile, The College of Idaho goes to 17-11 overall and 9-5 in league games. The Warriors will return to the field tomorrow – Saturday, April 9th – against the visiting Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Warrior Field in Salem.