Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score

EUGENE, Ore. – The Northwest Christian University softball team continued their hot play on Tuesday, sweeping a double-header from Corban University, 3-0 and 5-4. It was the first-ever home sweep of the Warriors and breaks a 19-game losing streak in the series that dated back to 2010.
 
The wins also helped NCU leapfrog Corban into fifth place in the Cascade Conference, setting up a wild final weekend between the three teams fighting for the final CCC playoff spot. Southern Oregon University is currently in fourth place with a 12-12 record, two ahead of NCU (13-24, 12-14 CCC) in the loss column. Corban now sits at 24-20 overall, 11-15 in conference. Southern Oregon will host Northwest University on Friday before facing  No. 24 Concordia on Saturday. NCU and Corban will face off once again, this time in Salem on Saturday afternoon, beginning at 2:00 pm.

Head Coach Julie Strand said, "I am beyond proud of the team right now. We emphasized to our girls that if we went out there and played our game, the rest would take care of itself. I'm extatic that we continue to have clutch hitting when we need runs and solid defense. We are staying within ourselves and being who we are day-in-and-day out, we aren't pressing and pushing and trying to be extraordinary at this moment."
 
GAME ONE
 
Reigning CCC Pitcher of the Week Jill Suratt went back to work on Tuesday helping NCU to their first win over Corban since April 10, 2009. Suratt (6-7) went the distance, scattering four singles while striking out three batters.
 
Suratt also got it done at the plate, opening the second inning with a solo home run, her first career dinger at any level. Current CCC Player of the Week Parker Bonife followed with a solo jack of her own and the Beacons were quickly ahead, 2-0.
 
Suratt worked herself out of a number of jams in the contest as Corban put runners in scoring position in four separate innings and had a runner at third base with less than two outs in both the first and fourth innings. In the fourth, she ended the threat with a strikeout and a pop up to herself. In the bottom of that inning, NCU tacked on an insurance run when Jazzy Villaruel scored on an error.
 
Corban starter Samantha Gutwig (8-6) went 3.1 innings for the Warriors, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out four batters. Danielle Horne closed the final 2.2 innings with just two hits allowed.
 
Suratt and Villaruel each had multiple hits in the win for NCU while four different players got hits for Corban.
 
GAME TWO
 
Suratt got the call once more in game two while Horne remained in the circle for the Warriors. NCU again got on the board first, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. Laynee Bevans and Addy Hoskins opened with back-to-back singles with Bevans soon scoring from third on a sacrifice squeeze by Randi Kostner down the left field line. Hoskins later scored on an RBI single from Suratt.
 
Corban got one run back in the top of the second inning, thir first run of the day, on an RBI single from Annie Owen that brought in Kylie Durre.
 
With just a slim 2-1 lead, NCU posted another run in the third on another RBI single from Suratt, this time scoring Kostner. Corban responded quickly, however with McCayla Hoffman opening the fourth inning with a solo home run to left center.
 
With 12 innings already under her belt, Suratt finally started to show signs of wear and tear in the sixth inning. With one out, Durre pushed a two-RBI single through the right side of the field, plating Hoffman and Breonna Bejaran. Now trailing 4-3, NCU coach Julie Strand made the call to the bullpen, bringing in Janieve Boyles. Two straight fielding errors for NCU made things interesting as the Warriors loaded the bases with just one out. The freshman, however, got Owen to strikeout and Shelby Mauermann to fly out to center field to end the threat.
 
The Beacons were able to respond in the bottom of the sixth with the game-tying run. Suratt opened the frame with her third single of the game and then advanced to third on a fielding error as Bonife reached base attempting a sacrifice bunt. Another fielding error on the next play brought Suratt home and the teams went to the seventh inning, knotted at 4-4. It was three-up-three-down for Corban in the top half as Boyles mowed down the heart of the Warrior lineup with a strikeout out, a pop-up and a fly ball.
 
Then it all came down to the bottom of the seventh and what transpired for the Beacons was nothing short of amazing. Hoskins singled to left to open the inning and Kostner reached on a bunt single, pushed perfectly through the right side between the pitcher and first-baseman. After a flyout by Gabby Stover, Corban was looking at two of the hottest hitters in the Cascade Conference with just one out.
 
Warrior coach Nathan Ohta made the call to intentionally walk Suratt, who had gotten a hit in all four of her at-bats against Horne. The walk loaded the bases, putting the potential winning run at third with Bonife set to hit. With the Corban infield drawn in, trying to keep a force play at any base in play, Bonife crushed a walk-off single through the right side to score Hoskins and give NCU the sweep.
 
Boyles (3-1) got the win for NCU, striking out two batters without allowing a hit in 1 2/3 innings. Suratt went the first 5 1/3, allowing three earned runs on six hits while striking out four. Suratt was also 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBI while Bevans, Hoskins, and Kostner each had two hits apiece.