Corban 3-6, George Fox 0-3

Warriors Use Pitching and Long Ball to Sweep Bruins.

Salem-News.com Sports

NEWBERG, Ore. - Erin Sailors threw a one-hit shutout in the opening game and the Corban College Warriors smacked three home runs in the second game, earning the sweep of a non-conference softball doubleheader 3-0 and 6-3 over the George Fox University Bruins Friday afternoon here at Morse Field.

The twinbill had originally been scheduled for Thursday in Salem, Ore., but recent rains made the Warriors’ field, which has no tarp, unplayable, so the coaches of the two teams agreed to move to Newberg on Friday, with George Fox as the home team.

Sailors (3-3) was masterful in the lidlifter, allowing only one baserunner on a walk through the first five innings. The Warriors gave her all the runs she would need in the 3rd when consecutive singles by Jessie Jones, Rebecca Franke, and Rachel Steigleman produced one run, and Franke scored later on a ground out by Karlee Sisler.

The Bruins had Sailors on the rope in the 6th but could not come up with a timely hit. Katie Hughes drew a leadoff walk and Amy Peterson was safe on a grounder to third when the first baseman dropped the throw. Becka Doyle followed with the only hit off Sailors, a clean single down the left-field line that loaded the bases with none out. Sailors got out of the jam by then striking out the Bruins’ 2-3-4 hitters - Erin Lee, Shelby Briske, and Chelsea Bradely - in order, though Bradely gave the Warriors a tremendous scare with a towering fly down the left-field line that landed about 10 feet foul of being a grand-slam home run.

The Warriors added an insurance run in the 7th when Jones singled, stole second and third, and scored on Brittany Wagner’s double off the glove of a diving Lee in right. That was enough to pin the loss on southpaw Bradely (1-2), who struck out eight without a walk in going the distance while allowing 11 hits.

Sailors finished with 14 strikeouts and only one walk. Jones, Wagner, and Sisler all had two hits each for the Warriors.

In the nightcap, George Fox took an early 1-0 lead in the 1st on back-to-back two-out doubles by Briske and Bradely, the latter a sizzling one-hop smash to the left of shortstop Megan Gaylord that went all the way to the wall. Bradely blanked the Warriors on a pair of hits through the first three innings but tired in the 4th when the visitors plated four runs.

Franke opened the frame with a double to left and Schell followed with her first home run of the season, a liner over the center field fence, for a 2-1 Corban lead. Steigleman singled up the middle, and Sisler drilled her first round tripper over the left-center fence. The Warriors added another run in the 5th as Steigleman walked, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on a single to left by Twyla Baggarley. Corban’s final run came in the 7th on a solo home run to center by Franke, her first.

The Bruins rallied with two runs in the last of the 7th and had the tying run at the plate before the Warriors got the final out. Amy Peterson reached on a one-out error at third and came all the way around on a throwing error by relief pitcher Wagner on Kerstyn Tsuruda’s slow roller. After Lee forced Tsuruda, Briske and Bradely singled to score Lee, but Wagner retired Doyle on a liner back to the mound.

Baggarly (1-1) worked 4.2 innings to get the win, allowing five hits and a run with two strikeouts and a walk. Wagner spaced two hits and allowed two unearned runs, but got no save because it was not a save situation when she entered the game. Bradley (1-3) surrendered 11 hits while fanning six with two walks.

Bradley had three hits and Briske two for the Bruins. Sisler was 3-3 for the Warriors, while Franke, Steigleman, and Baggarly had two hits apiece.

George Fox (1-3) returns to the diamond Wednesday with a pair at Concordia University-Portland at 3:00 p.m. Corban (6-8) hosts Lewis & Clark College Wednesday in a twinbill at 1:00 p.m.

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