Corban's Jessie Isham hit a home run in game one of Sunday's doubleheader sweep of UBC. (Photo Credit: Doug Pfeiler)
WILSONVILLE, Ore. – While continuing to extend its best start to a season in program history, the Corban University softball team needed just 10 total innings on Sunday to defeat the University of British Columbia twice, winning 13-3 and 9-1 in five innings in both games. The Warriors move to 14-1 overall on the year and 3-0 in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) action.
“I’m very proud of how aggressive our entire team was today,” said Corban head coach Abigail Farler. “They took pride in the areas we said we wanted to work on today. Both Sabrina and Allie threw well, and the defense made great plays behind them.”
Over the course of the four-game series, the Warriors racked up 18 stolen bases and are currently 43-for-47 on stolen-base attempts on the 2017 campaign.
Sunday’s first game saw Jessie Isham smash a two-run bomb over the left-field fence in the first inning to give the Warriors the early advantage. Taylor Eilders then ripped a two-RBI double in the second to make it 4-0, and while UBC pulled one back in the third, Corban tallied four more in the third to make it 9-1.
Mackenzie Siddall recorded an RBI base knock for the Thunderbirds in the fourth, but the Warriors then tacked on four in the fourth to push the advantage to 13-2. While UBC pulled one more back in the fifth, the Warriors finished off the contest for a 10-run CCC victory, completing the sweep of UBC in conference contests.
In the win, Eilders went 4-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, while Sam Woodley went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored.
Sabrina Boyd earned her team-leading seventh win of the season in the circle, throwing four innings while dispersing five hits and allowing two runs in the five-inning victory.
In the second game of the day and final game of the series, which was played as a non-conference contest, UBC (1-9, 0-3 CCC) took advantage of a Warrior error in the first frame to nab the 1-0 advantage. Corban then did the same in the bottom half of the frame, however, as a costly error by the Thunderbirds with two outs scored two Warrior runners, and then Allie Mendez stepped into the box for Corban. Mendez blasted a long home run over the center field fence, putting Corban up 4-1.
Isham, Aubrene Blas, Ashleigh Lynch, and Eilders would all add RBI hits for the Warriors in the fourth and fifth frames, extending Corban’s lead to eight runs en route to sealing the non-conference triumph.
In the circle Mendez was absolutely dealing, ultimately tossing a five-inning complete game while allowing just two hits, one unearned run, and striking out nine in her sixth victory of the year.
At the plate, Eilders went 2-for-4 with two RBI, while both Isham and Raimee Sluder both notched a pair of hits as well for Corban.
Corban (14-1, 3-0 CCC) is scheduled to return to action next Friday when it hosts Northwest University (Wash.) in a 2 p.m. doubleheader.