Corban Ousts SOU, Knocks Off Concordia 5-1
Friday, May 7
Game 1: Corban 2, Southern Oregon 1
Game 2: Corban 5, #4 Concordia 1
Saturday, May 8
Game 3: Corban vs. Concordia
Game 4: Corban vs. Concordia (if necessary)
PORTLAND, Ore.—Corban needed a walk-off hit to get by Southern Oregon 2-1 in the first game of the day and left room to spare with a 5-1 win in the opening game of a three-game series against Concordia in the first day of action at the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships.
The tournament will resume on Saturday with second-seeded Corban squaring off against Concordia in an elimination game for the top-seeded Cavaliers. Opening pitch is set for noon at Delta Park. If necessary, the two teams will play the decisive third game with a 3 p.m. start time.
Dehart Lifts Warriors with Walk-Off Single to Advance in CCC Championships
PORTLAND, Ore.—After giving up a run in the first inning, Corban used a single run in the sixth and again in the seventh to eliminate Southern Oregon with a 2-1 win in the first game of action at the Cascade Collegiate Conference Softball Championships on Friday.
With the result, Corban improved to 24-21 on the season while SOU finished its year at 16-23.
The Raiders put pressure on Corban early in the game as Meghan Laughlin drilled a double down the left-field line after a one-out walk to Justine Fulton I the first inning. Fulton rounded third on the play but was gunned down at the plate by a relay throw from Corban left fielder Becca Franke to Rachel Kazmierski at third. The Raiders would break through in the next at bat however, as Bailey Pierce connected with an RBI single through the middle.
Despite both teams getting several chances, the score remained at 1-0 in favor of the Raiders until the bottom of the sixth inning. Jessie Jones reached for the first time in the game after being hit by a pitch to start the stanza. A productive out back to the pitcher off the bat of Liane Dehart moved Jones to second where she was immediately sent home following a Stephanie Nippert single to left center in what was just the team’s second hit of the game. SOU starter Karri Johnson escaped further damage by forcing a fly to deep left and a pop up to short.
In the top of the seventh, seemingly inspired by the offensive spark, Corban starter Makenzie Marchbanks struck out the lead-off hitter on three pitchers but followed with a four-pitch walk to No. 8 hitter Emily Matekel. Rayna Okimoto flied a ball to deep center for the second out while Marchbanks generated a groundout to shortstop Erica Fitzgerald for the final out to set up the dramatic finale.
Now stepping up to the plate, Fitzgerald opened the bottom of the seventh by legging out a single to shortstop. Jessica Pierce came in as a pinch hitter and with the count full connected on a laser which seemed headed for center field, but was snagged by Okimoto, who fully extended after darting to her right to snare the liner near second base. Jessie Jones drew a walk to give the Warriors runners at first and second to set up Dehart, who cracked a single to left for the walk-off win.
Marchbanks picked up the complete-game win while Johnson was tagged with the loss. Marchbanks struck out two and walked two while Johnson struck out four and walked three batters.
Southern Oregon outhit Corban 5-4 with Laughlin leading the way after going 2-for-3 at the plate.
Corban did not record a hit until the fifth inning as Rachel Kazmierski broke through with a single to left field. SOU third baseman Karla Alvarez made a head’s up play in the next at bat by charging in and scooping up a bunt by Erica Fitzgerald and firing to second to get the lead runner and the first out of the frame. Fitzgerald stole second on a third strike to Steigleman and was stranded in scoring position as Johnson posted a second strikeout, her fourth of the game, to end the threat.
Johnson had previously retired the Warriors in order in the first and the fourth inning while allowing a walk in the second and a hit batter in the third for Corban’s lone baserunners in the first four frames.
Southern Oregon threatened in the sixth as Meghan Laughlin smacked a one-out single up the middle. After a fly out to right, teammate Barrantes placed a ball into left field to give the Raiders a pair of baserunners, the first such occurrence for either team. Marchbanks would recover with a grounder to second to hold the Raiders at bay.
Warriors Hit Three Homers to Defeat Cavs 5-1
PORTLAND, Ore.—After being stymied for the first three innings, Corban smacked back-to-back home runs to gain a lead and added a 3-run shot in the fifth en route to a 5-1 win over No. 4-ranked Concordia in the opener of a three-game series for the Cascade Collegiate Conference Softball Championship on Friday.
Second-seeded Corban defeated Southern Oregon 2-1 earlier in the day to move on to face the top-seeded Cavaliers for the battle for the NAIA National Championship automatic bid. The tournament will resume on Saturday with a noon at Delta Park. If necessary, the two teams will play the decisive third game with a 3 p.m. start time.
With the win, Corban improved to 24-21 on the season while CU fell to 32-5.
The Cavalier offense struck first with a lead-off single by Kayla Vickaryous which turned into a run on a two-out single by Cameron Way. On the play, Mallory Callahan, who reached via a walk in the previous at bat, was picked off trying to advance to third while Warrior fielder Rachel Kazmierski nearly turned a double play by firing to first base as Way barely beat out a tag while diving back to the bag. Corban starter Makenzie Marchbanks finished the Cavs off with a strikeout to hold Concordia to the single run.
The Cavs were able to place a runner on second in the nest two innings in an attempt to separate from the Warriors, but Marchbanks continued to limit the CU attack with an inning-ending pop up in the second and a strikeout in the third.
The stranded runners would come back to haunt the Cavaliers as Tamara Feb led off the fourth with a home run to deep left-center to square the game at 1-1 and was followed by a strike over the same part of the fence by Kazmierski to give the Warriors its first lead of the contest.
In the fifth, a lead-off single by Rebecca Franke preceded Jessie Jones reaching on an error to give the Warriors runners on for Stephanie Nippert, who cranked the team’s third homer of the day for a 5-1 advantage.
The lead would prove to be all Marchbanks would need en route to picking up her second win of the day. Marchbanks allowed just one run on six hits while striking out seven and issuing two walks in the complete-game victory.
CU’s Danielle Pulfrey allowed two hits in 2 2/3 innings of relief work for the Cavs. Renee Santos was charged with the loss after lasting 4 1/3 with five runs, four of which were earned, on five hits. Santos struck out 10 in her outing including one for each of the first seven outs recorded in the game.
Corban outhit Concordia 7-6 with Nippert going 2-for-3 with three RBI. Way finished 2-for-2 with a walk while Tina Garcia went 2-for-3 with singles to lead off the second and the fourth inning for the Cavaliers.