Tobey Varney hit a walk-off, three-run home run to center in the Cavs' 9-0 win in the second game against Northwest Christian on Friday. The Cavs also won the first game, 6-1, with Varney going 1-for-3 from the plate with two runs scored in the game.
Cavs Sweep Beacons in CCC Opener
BOX SCORES : Game 1 I Game 2
PORTLAND—The Concordia softball team opened CCC play with a sweep of Northwest Christian on Friday, winning the first game 6-1 before taking the second 9-0 in five innings.
The Cavs improved to 16-5 overall and 2-0 in CCC play with the sweep, while the Beacons dropped to 2-8 overall and 0-2 in the CCC.
Both teams will return to action tomorrow, March 9, when the Cavs host a doubleheader against No. 17 Corban, while the Beacons travel for their own doubleheader at Northwest. Both doubleheaders will begin at 11 a.m. tomorrow.
Game 1—Concordia 6, Northwest Christian 1
The teams packed plenty of action into the first inning of the first game Friday, though things would break the Cavs way by the end of it. The Beacons loaded the bases in the top of the first, but could not get a run across, while the Cavs scored four runs and had five hits in their half of the inning.
Tobey Varney, Katie Aden and Taylor Copher--the Cavs' first three batters of the inning--all reached to lead the Cavs off in the game. From there, Kate Santos hit a sacrifice fly to plate Varney for the first run in the game, while Laura Luther followed with a single to plate Aden. Cassidy Horner then loaded the bases again with a single, before Jenny Lutton capped the Cavs’ scoring in the inning with a single to right that scored Copher and Luther after the Beacons’ right fielder bobbled the ball in the outfield.
The Cavs plated another run in the second inning, putting them up 5-0 early. Varney provided much of the leg work for the run as she led the inning off with a single, then ran aggressively on the base paths, scoring all the way from first on a double from Copher.
The Cavalier defense, meanwhile, backed up CU starter Danielle Orvella with solid play in the top of the fourth. The Beacons’ Melissa Webster and Dani Gehrke put the Cavs in a tough spot when they hit back-to-back singles to start the inning off. Orvella got Jordan Bennett to fly out to left after that, however, before an inning-ending double play got the Cavs out of the jam. The Cavs’ double play required some coordination between the Cavalier infielders as the Cavs went to first for the first out, then threw home to cut Webster off before she scored.
The Beacons did break through for a run in the top of the fifth when Laynee Bevans scored on Randi Kostner’s double down the right-field line, but the Cavs answered immediately with a run in the bottom half of the inning. Cassidy Horner scored the run for the Cavs after Robin Gawlista perfectly placed a ball in the infield for an RBI single.
Copher and Varney led the Cavs offensively in the game as Copher went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, while Varney went 1-for-3 with two runs scored.
On the flip side, Bevans led the Beacons from the plate, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.
In the circle, Orvella picked up the win after pitching all seven innings for the Cavs, while Sarah Lawhorn picked up the loss after only going the first 1.1 innings for the Beacons.
Game 2—Concordia 9, Northwest Christian 0 (5 innings)
The Cavs broke open, then finished the second game Friday with a seven-run fifth inning capped by three-run home run from senior Tobey Varney. The Cavs only led the Beacons 2-0 before the fifth inning, but then scored seven runs without giving up an out to mercy-rule the Beacons in five.
Kate Santos and Laura Luther scored the first two runs of the fifth inning when Jenny Lutton doubled to right-center field. Cassidy Horner moved to third on Lutton’s double, meanwhile, and then scored one batter later when Robin Gawlista put a single through the left side of the infield. Lutton moved up to third on Gawlista’s single and scored herself during the next at bat on a foul-line hugging bunt from Mary Lugar.
Lugar’s well-placed bunt made it a 6-0 CU lead and left two runners on base for leadoff hitter Tobey Varney. Varney had been 0-for-3 to that point in the game, but broke out of her mini-slump with a walk-off, three-run home run to center field.
Meanwhile, in terms of pitching, Danielle Orvella returned to the circle for the Cavs after pitching all seven innings of the first game and seemed to only get better. Orvella gave up only two hits in the second game, and did not allow a runner past second base.
The Cavs’ defense helped her in the top of the fifth, though, after Gabby Stover led off the inning with a single up the middle. Stover moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Dani Gehrke on the next play, but got in trouble when she tried to round second and go to third. Stover made the play close, but the Lugar threw a bullet to Horner at third, who tagged Stover to end the Beacons' threat.
Orvella threw all five innings of the second game for the Cavs, completing her second individual shutout of the season.
Offensively, four different Cavaliers had two hits in the game in Katie Aden, Santos, Gawlista and Lugar. Varney also led the Cavs with three runs batted in, while Gawlista led the Cavs with two runs scored.
On the flip side, Jordan Bennett picked up the loss for the Beacons despite pitching effectively against the Cavs for four innings. Bennett held the Cavs to just two runs, only one of which was earned, in her four innings during the second game Friday. Bennett also pitched well in relief during the first game, going 4.2 innings while only giving up one hit and one unearned run.