STAYTON, Ore. – After the frigid winter weather relocated the Corban University Softball team's home opener doubleheader to Stayton High School, the Warriors were stumped by an all-around offensive and defensive showing by the visiting Loggers of NCAA DIII University of Puget Sound, as they were held scoreless in 8-0 and 16-0 contests shortened by run-rulings.
"The early season mistakes are still on full display through our second doubleheader of the year, and we know what we must do if we want to be competitive in the PNW," explained Corban head coach Jeff Covalt. "We'll have two more opportunities to right the ship next week against another pair of division three programs."
Game 1 – Puget Sound 8, Corban 0 (6 Innings)
The Loggers (3-1) saw an outstanding starting pitcher performance by southpaw Nyomi Estrada in game one of today's doubleheader, as the Warriors (0-4) were held without a hit in a six-inning affair where Estrada allowed just four walks while striking out nine Corban batters. The Navy and Gold were within striking distance through 3.0 innings trailing 2-0, but a three-run fourth inning for Puget Sound put the Warriors in an offensive hole that they were unable to crawl back out of.
Corban true freshman starting pitcher Miranda Scovil accepted the first losing decision of her collegiate career after allowing five runs on six hits and a pair of walks in 3.0 innings while striking out a trio of Loggers. Senior reliever Emmaleena Wood allowed two more runs on four hits with a pair of punchouts in 2.1 innings pitched, while senior righthander Sage Vanterpool struck out a single batter while allowing a run on one hit.
The top six batters in the Puget Sound lineup all had hits in game one against Corban, led by their leadoff catcher Claire Besancon who was 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Third baseman Alyssa Figueroa tallied two hits and a game-high three RBI from the cleanup spot.
Game 2 – Puget Sound 16, Corban 0 (5 Innings)
After forcing a run-rule in six innings against Corban in game one, Puget Sound tallied all eight of the runs they would need to score to force another early ending in the first inning alone after the Warriors committed an early fielding error that allowed six of the eight runs to score unearned that would have otherwise ended the inning with a 2-0 deficit.
The first inning collapse combined with yet another dominant outing in the circle for the Loggers allowed for UPS to secure the doubleheader sweep, as starting pitcher Alison Madia didn't secure a single strikeout but was backup mightily by the defense behind her to secure a complete game one-hitter in 5.0 innings and just one free pass allowed.
True freshman Regan Rasmussen moved to the pitcher's circle to start game two after appearing in the field throughout game one, eventually accepting the loss after allowing seven runs on four hits and was unable to escape the first inning. Junior relief pitcher Amy Jankowski allowed another six runs on six hits in 2.0 innings of work with a trio of Ks, while Scovil and Wood pitched the final 2.1 frames remaining, with Wood allowing just one hit and no runs allowed with two strikeouts.
Vanterpool pinch hit in the bottom of the fourth inning and picked up the Warriors' first base hit of the day with a sharp line drive down the left field line, while senior designated player Lola Benjamin and junior second baseman Peyton Foreman were the only other Navy and Gold student-athletes to reach base on a walk and fielding error, respectively.
Figueroa had another solid outing for the Loggers at the plate with a 3-for-3 performance in game two, racking up three runs with two RBI while shortstop Aislind Dail matched Figueroa with three hits and three runs scored along with a game-high three RBI.
Corban softball will be back in action next Wednesday in McMinnville for a doubleheader against NCAA DIII Linfield University (0-0), with start times scheduled for 5/7pm.
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