Sabrina Boyd tossed two complete games on Tuesday, lifting Corban to a pair of wins in Medford. (Photo Credit: WST Photography)
MEDFORD, Ore. – Needing to play a tripleheader in Medford due to poor field conditions and bad weather in Salem over the course of the last week, the now No. 7-ranked Corban University softball team took two of three from now No. 24-ranked Oregon Tech on Tuesday, taking the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) series triumph. Corban won the opener, 4-1, while Oregon Tech took game two, 4-0, and the Warriors rallied to win in walk-off fashion in the third contest, 5-4.
"I am so proud of the team for battling and finding a way to win this series," said Corban head coach Abigail Farler. "In the final game, the team showed so much fight and heart. It was incredible to see their resiliency. Sab did a great job getting us the opportunity to win games one and three, and Sam was a great leader behind the plate all day for us. I am so proud of our team for battling through adversity all week to come down here and earn two W's!"
CLICK HERE to take a look at Tuesday's NAIA Softball Coaches' Top-25 Poll, in which Corban rose to No. 7 in the NAIA.
Corban rode Sabrina Boyd in game one as the Warriors downed the Owls, 4-1. Boyd went the distance, dispersing six hits and allowing one run in the victory. At the dish, Kaylee Buhrkuhl, Sam Woodley, and Jessie Isham all tallied a pair of hits in the victory for the Warriors.
In game two, Oregon Tech's Sarah Abramson was dominant in the circle, tossing seven innings while allowing just three Corban hits and striking out 11 in a 4-0 win. At the plate, Ali Graham went 2-for-3 with one RBI in the win, while Rachael Delamare also went 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Owls.
The third ballgame of the day was a wild one, and one that was not decided until the final inning. Oregon Tech scored one in the first and one in the third to go in front 2-0, but the Warriors responded and tied the game with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the third inning. Corban eventually took a 3-2 lead in the sixth thanks to a sacrifice fly from Ashlyn Englehorn.
The Owls rallied in the seventh, however, scoring two runs to take back the lead and head into the final half of the seventh with a one-run advantage. Corban had an answer of its own in the seventh, loading the bases and tying the contest on a sacrifice fly from Sam Woodley. One batter later, Tabby Humphrey came in to score on a wild pitch, winning the game and series for Corban in walk-off fashion.
In the win, Mahina Chong went 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored. Boyd earned her second win of the day, throwing her 11th complete game in the process.
Corban (19-5, 9-1 CCC) is back in action this weekend when it travels back down south to take on No. 14-ranked Southern Oregon University, while Oregon Tech (20-7, 9-3 CCC) returns home to host Northwest Christian over the weekend.