HILLSBORO, Ore. – Senior Jess Garner claimed the NCU softball all-time hitting crown on Friday, pushing the Beacons to a win in game three of their three-game conference series with No. 17 Corban University.
 
NCU took the opener, 4-3 before dropping the non-conference night cap 5-4 on a walk-off sacrifice fly.
 
After tying the NCU record with her 146th hit in her final at-bat on Thursday, Garner wasted little time breaking the mark as she hit a bunt single in the top of the first inning of game one.
 
Garner and Tra Kucera both scored in the first inning on an RBI single by Emma Jegtvig, and Corban got one run back in the bottom of the first as the leadoff hitter scored on a throwing error after stealing third base on a double steal.
 
Maya Jenkins went yard to lead off the second inning, NCU's first home run since February and the Beacons took a 3-1 lead that they would cling to until the bottom of the sixth. Corban tied things up with three straight hits to open the inning and the teams went into the seventh inning knotted at four.
 
The Beacons, however, would not be denied as none other than Garner came home to score on an RBI single by Noel Balderston.
 
Jegtvig finished off her 12th complete game of the season and improved to 7-12, allowing two earned runs while striking out one.
 
The win was NCU's first over Corban since 2016 and just the second ever for four-year seniors Madi Jones and Garner. 
 
The Warriors, however, went on to avoid the sweep as they claimed the nightcap, 5-4, winning it in the bottom of the seventh on a walk-off sacrifice fly.
 
Their win only came after the Beacons took a 4-3 lead in the top of the frame on a squeeze bunt by Jones to score Katie Allen.
 
Jones also threw her first complete game since 2017, allowing four earned runs in her first start of the season.
 
With an additional two hits, Garner claims 149 and counting over her four-year career with the Beacons. She is also the all-time leader for the Beacons in five other categories (Stolen Bases, Putouts, Games Played, At-Bats, and Plate Appearances) and she needs four runs to own that career record as well, one which has remained at 93 since 2011.
 
Garner and Jones will lead their teams back to Eugene for their final career home games next weekend as NCU plays host to Eastern Oregon University for a four game set, beginning on Friday at 2:00 pm.