Kollaer Leads Corban to Split with Pioneers

With the split, Corban is now 13-20 overall, while Lewis & Clark concludes its season at 3-34 overall.

Freshman Jennifer Kollaer registered her eighth complete game, while belting her third home run of the season in the opener against Lewis & Clark. Photo courtesy: Corban Sports Information

SALEM, Ore. - Freshman Jennifer Kollaer (Albany, Ore.) pitched a complete-game four-hitter in the opener while adding three RBIs, as Corban's softball team earned a split with the visiting Pioneers of Lewis & Clark College, 3-1 & 4-5, in non-conference action Thursday at Warrior Field.

Prior to the opener, Corban seniors Lindsey Batey (Aloha, Ore.) and Jennifer Childers (Winston, Ore.) were honored for their careers wearing the Warriors' navy and gold. Having appeared in 154 games, Batey is Corban’s career leader in at-bats, RBIs, runs scored, hits, doubles, and walks. Meanwhile, Childers has spent the bulk of her two seasons behind the plate for the Warriors, amassing 281 putouts in 66 career games.

Game #1 – Corban 3, Lewis & Clark 1

The Warriors' offense started out strong in the opener, as freshman Jessie Jones (Gladstone, Ore.) led off the first inning with a single to left field. The next batter – Kollaer – ripped a low shot that carried over the left field fence for her third home run of the season (first since the Warriors' opening tournament of the season in Northern California) to give Corban a two-run advantage.

With one out in the bottom of the second, junior Megan Gaylord (Portland, Ore.) laid down a beautiful bunt and beat the throw to first base. Two batters later, Kollaer stepped to the plate and rifled a fly that caromed off the center field fence for an RBI double, scoring Gaylord to increase the Warriors’ advantage to three runs (3-0).

Those three runs proved to be ample support for Kollaer, whose performance in the circle held Lewis & Clark scoreless for five innings before Sheree Miura crossed the plate on a passed ball in the sixth inning for the Pioneers' lone run of the opener.

Offensively, Kollaer collected all three of Corban’s RBIs with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate. Meanwhile, sophomore Siriana Guest (Salem, Ore.) also collected a pair of hits, as six different Warriors reached base.

In the circle, Kollaer pitched a gem, going the distance and allowing one unearned run on a mere four hits with a game-high seven strikeouts.

Four Lewis & Clark players registered one hit each, while pitcher Nathalie Matson allowed three runs (all earned) on eight hits to go along with four strikeouts in six innings for the Pioneers.

Game #2 - Lewis & Clark 5, Corban 4

Both teams began the night cap with strong defense, as Lewis & Clark scored the game’s first run in the top of the third inning.

The Warriors answered to even the score at one run apiece in the bottom of the fourth, as freshman Nikki Reierson (Wenatchee, Wash.) walked to lead off the frame, advancing to second and then third on passed balls before coming home on a wild pitch.

Lewis & Clark came alive in the top of the sixth inning, scoring four runs highlighted by Paige McFeeley’s two-RBI single that glanced off pitcher Karlee Sisler’s (Corvallis, Ore.) glove before caroming off the second base bag, eluding a pair of Warrior infielders.

Corban’s offense rose to the challenge in the bottom of the sixth, as the Warriors worked to close the four-run gap. Kollaer led off the inning with her second double of the day before taking third on a passed ball. The next batter – Batey – walked and stole second before coming home on sophomore Jessica Pierce’s (Kennewick, Wash.) RBI single to left field. Pierce then proceeded to steal second and advanced to third on the Pioneer catcher’s throwing error before coming home on a wild pitch to cap the Warriors’ scoring.

After holding the Pioneers scoreless in the top of the seventh, Jones walked with one out, then stole second before advancing to third on Kollaer’s ground out. With the tying run sixty feet away, Matson induced a game-ending fly out to the catcher in foul territory to thwart the Warriors’ comeback.

Kollaer once again led the Corban offense with another 2-for-3 performance that included a run scored. Meanwhile, three other Warriors – sophomore Josie Strange (Chehalis, Wash.), Sisler, and Childers – registered a hit each to go along with Sisler and Childers' run-scoring one-baggers. In the circle, Sisler went the distance, allowing five runs (four earned) on twelve hits to go along with one K.

The Pioneer offense was led by five different players with two hits each, while Paige McFeeley drove in a team and game-high two runs. Pitching-wise for Lewis & Clark, Kelly Vega pitched the first 5.1 innings sandwiched between McFeeley, who pitched to one batter in the fourth inning to record the final out. Matson earned her second save of the season, going the final 1.1 innings of near-perfect ball.

With the split, Corban is now 13-20 overall, while Lewis & Clark concludes its season at 3-34 overall. The Warriors are back in action on Saturday, April 26th, when they travel south to take on first-year conference member Northwest Christian beginning at 11:00 a.m. at James Park in Springfield.

Source: Corban Sports Information

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