SALEM, Ore. – The (RV) Corban University softball team earned its second-straight Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) series sweep on Saturday, riding another strong pitching effort to a thrilling 2-1 victory (eight innings) over Warner Pacific University in game one. The Navy and Gold fell in the non-conference series finale, however, with the Knights claiming a 5-1 triumph to split the day's doubleheader.
As with game one yesterday, Corban's Holly Gonzales and Warner Pacific's Melia Croydon were the stars of the show in Saturday's first contest.
The two aces picked up right where they left off yesterday, dueling against each other in a low-scoring battle.
Corban manufactured a run in the top of the second, when a long, gritty at-bat from Samantha Martinez ended in an RBI groundout to bring home Megan Rybar. That would be the only scoring for either squad until the bottom of the seventh.
Gonzales was exceptional in the circle once again, cruising through six scoreless frames and allowing just three hits to the Knights. Two of those knocks came with no outs in the bottom of the seventh, however, as Warner Pacific aimed to prevent the Warrior starter from earning her second-straight complete-game shutout.
With runners on first and second and nobody out, Corban turned to Sarah Probasco to escape the jam. Though WPU was able to load the bases with no outs recorded, Probasco managed to limit the damage to just one run, forcing extras.
The top of the Corban order sparked a rally in the following half inning, with Makiah Johnson slicing a double down the left field line to put a runner in scoring position with just one out in the top of the eighth. Taylor Beasley then delivered a clutch RBI base hit to bring her home, giving the Warriors the extra-innings lead.
Probasco cruised through the bottom of the eighth to seal the triumph, earning the victory along the way and sealing a sweep for the Navy and Gold in the CCC portion of the series.
With some of the squad's key bats nursing minor injuries, the Navy and Gold was without a couple of its top contributors in game two.
Corban drew first blood in the contest, when Kaylee Buhrkuhl scored on a throwing error from Knight third baseman Devinne Amesquita. That would be all the squad could muster against Knight hurlers Abby Carlson and Emma Foster, who combined to hold the Warriors to just five hits on the afternoon.
The bottom of the third is when the Knights did all their damage, scoring five runs on a trio of hits. Corban miscues helped them out, as the Warriors aided the rally with two hit-by-pitches, a wild pitch, and an error.
Carlson (5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER) earned her first win of the season in the circle, while Navy and Gold starter Probasco (2 IP, 3 H, 5 ER) was saddled with her first lost of the season.
Martinez accounted for half of Corban's hits in the defeat, going a perfect 2-for-2 at the dish in the finale.
The Warriors (11-7, 6-0 CCC) will continue their 10-game homestand on Wednesday, welcoming (RV) Simpson University for a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch at Warrior Field is slated for 2 p.m.