EUGENE, Ore. – The Bushnell softball team opened up their final home weekend on Thursday with a split, falling to Warner Pacific University 5-1 in the opener before taking game two, 8-6 in the first two softball games ever played between the schools.  
 
Warner Pacific added their softball program last year, but the season was cancelled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic before the first scheduled games between the schools.  
 
GAME ONE: Warner Pacific University 5, Bushnell University 1 
 
The Knights claimed the opener behind a strong pitching performance from Melia Croydon who threw a three-hitter and struck out four batters for the victory.  
 
Trailing 5-0 in the fifth inning, Bushnell was able to avoid the shutout when Anna Cardwell scored on a while pitch. The senior led off the inning with a single and was sacrificed twice to make her way to third base.  
 
Miranda Jensen started the game and went three innings, allowing three runs while striking out two. Birthday-girl Sam Silver came in to pitch the final four innings of the game and did not allow an earned run, striking out one batter while allowing five hits.  
 
GAME TWO:  Bushnell 8, Warner Pacific 6 
 
The Beacons rallied not once, but twice with three-run innings, claiming the victory in a game that saw five lead changes.  
 
The Beacons took the early lead when Jordan Kuykendall scored on an RBI double by Anabel Mendez in the bottom of the first. The Knights rallied, however, to score three in the top of the third.  
 
Bushnell made it 3-2 when pinch-running Alyssa Ferreira came home on Cardwell's RBI double in the fourth. Then, in the bottom of the fifth, Lilly Bauer returned the lead to the Beacons with a two-run single and the home team took a 5-3 lead into the sixth.  
 
Warner Pacific once again rallied, scoring three in top of the inning, claiming a 6-5 advantage.  Then, in the bottom of the sixth, Bushnell was able to find the magic one more time, this time scoring three runs all with two outs. Maddy Steelman hit a triple to score Kuykendall and tie the contest. With first base empty, WPU elected to walk Anabel Mendez to get Leslie Reynaga.  
 
The relief pitcher was taking just her seventh at-bat of the season, but she made it a good one, hitting a high-bouncing single over the middle of the infield, allowing both Steelman and Mendez to come home with the winning runs.  
 
Reynaga (1-5) also claimed her first victory of the season as she came in to face the final five batters, striking out three. She did not allow a hit and recorded a 1-2-3 seventh inning to seal the game.  
 
Bushnell pounded out 14 hits in the game. Alexa Berry led the charge with three singles while Steelman, Mendez, and Cardwell each claimed two hits.  
 
Croydon (11-10) took the loss for the Knights, throwing two innings in relief and allowing six earned runs on eight hits.  
 
The teams will square off one more time, playing a double-header on Friday beginning at 3:00 pm.