No. 12 Corban Softball Rides Long Ball to Dramatic Wins over Carroll
HELENA, Mont. – It will all come down to the final day of the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) regular season, as the No. 12-ranked Corban University softball team kept the pressure on Southern Oregon atop the CCC standings with two big wins at Carroll College (Mont.) on Friday, meaning the final CCC contest of the year will decide the CCC regular-season champion. The Warriors won both games on Friday, 7-5, with game one going 10 innings.
"I'm glad to see the team fight for two wins today," said Corban head coach
Abigail Farler. "In the end, I think we can play at a higher level than we showed, but the effort to continue to fight on an "off" day made me very proud. Ally started off game two on fire, and V closed the first game exceptionally well. I was also very proud of the big home runs from Megan and her huge defensive play. I am excited to see what this team brings to the field tomorrow."
Corban (33-10, 21-5 CCC) returns to the diamond tomorrow to close out the regular season against Carroll for a CCC contest and a non-conference contest. The Warriors remain tied atop the CCC regular-season standings with Southern Oregon, while Oregon Tech is one game behind.
If Corban and SOU both win the CCC game on Saturday, then they will share the regular-season title, but SOU will clinch the CCC's first automatic berth to nationals and be the host of the CCC Tournament. If there ended up being a three-way tie for first with Oregon Tech and SOU, Corban would own the tiebreaker.
Game one on Friday went 10 innings, and it was the long ball for both teams that extended the contest. Corban totaled five home runs overall, and it was the 10th frame that saw
Jessie Isham and
Megan Rybar blast back-to-back home runs to put Corban in front 7-5 and ultimately hang on for the win. Rybar finished with two home runs in the game, while
Sam Woodley also added another.
Game two for Corban saw the Warriors jump in front 6-0 and ultimately finish off a 7-5 win over the Fighting Saints.
Ally Crakes went five innings in the circle for Corban, allowing just three runs with two being earned while striking out 11. At the dish, Isham and Rybar both tallied two hits each for the Warriors in the victory.
The Warriors and Fighting Saints will be back at it at 11 a.m. MT on Saturday for the final contests of the regular season.