Concordia Sweeps Corban in Softball Tilt

3/28/2015 7:52:28 AM

PORTLAND, Ore. – With a pair of one-run wins, the No. 17-ranked Concordia University softball team swept a doubleheader with No. 25 Corban University Friday afternoon, defeating the visiting Warriors 3-2, 4-3 at Delta Park.

It was the fourth and fifth consecutive wins for the Cavaliers, who improved to 26-10 on the season, 7-3 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. The Warriors fell to 24-9 and 7-4, one-half game behind the Cavs in the CCC.

Concordia will stay home to host Northwest Christian University on Saturday. Opening pitch is set for 11 a.m. at Delta Park. Corban will travel to face Northwest University in Kirkland, Wash.

Game 1 Recap: Concordia 3, Corban 2
Concordia prevailed 3-2 in the first contest after Meghan Luebbert walked with the bases loaded in the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie.

The Cavaliers had to come back after going down 2-0 in the top of the first, when Annie Owen and Kyrianna Sorensen each delivered solo shots over the left-field wall. However, after the inauspicious start, CU starter

Lucy Baldovino allowed just two more hits the rest of the way to improve to 12-2 on the season.

The Cavs scored one run in the second with Kate Santos coming in from second on a Taylor Copher single. Two innings later, Destinee Chang reached on a single, advanced to second on wild pitch and to third on a sacrifice bunt before scoring on a Corban error.

Moving to the sixth, Mariah Jimenez kept the winning alive with a two-out single before three straight walks, the final by Luebbert, drove in pinch runner Karlie Merritt for the eventual game-winning run.

Baldovino struck out Corban's first two batters looking in the seventh, and the game ended when Raimee Sluder grounded out to shortstop.

Concordia finished with six hits to Corban's four while not having a single batter strike out. Baldovino pitched all seven innings for the Cavs and struck out nine batters.

Game 2 Recap: Concordia 4, Corban 3
Using a Sam Owirka solo homer to left center in the sixth, the Cavaliers came from behind late to take the win in the second game of the Friday twinbill and clinch the sweep in the top-25 battle against Corban.

Reversing the opening game when Corban scored two in the first, Concordia plated a pair using four stolen bases and singles by Kate Santos and Taylor Copher.

After an RBI single by Annie Owen, the Warriors took a 3-2 lead when Danielle Ackerman lifted a ball over the left-field fence for her first home run of the season.

The Cavs went down quietly in the next two innings before Taylor Bussey belted her sixth homer of the season, leading off the fifth with a solo shot to left field to tie the game at 3-3.

With two outs in the sixth, Owirka's solo shot regained the lead for CU while Mattie Boucher went the distance in the circle to improve to 13-4 on the season. Boucher struck out five batters while both teams finished with seven hits in the game.