EUGENE, Ore. – The Bushnell softball team took their second CCC series victory of the season as they won the conference opener against Warner Pacific University on Friday afternoon, 4-2, before dropping the non-conference night cap, 8-5.
 
The Beacons improve to 10-32 on the season and 7-17 in Cascade Collegiate Conference action while Warner Pacific slips to 10-14 in conference and 19-20 overall. The Knight's magic number to qualify for their first CCC tournament is 1 heading into the final week of the regular season.
 
GAME ONE: Bushnell 4, Warner Pacific 2
 
Miranda Jensen showed up with that Senior Day shine, putting together a performance for the ages to open her final day of home games. Battling a number of injuries, she got the start in the circle but was only expected to pitch a few innings.
 
Jensen ended up throwing a complete-game to pick up her eighth win of the season. She struck out three batters and allowed just two unearned runs on six hits. She wasn't done there, however, as she went 4-for-4 from the leadoff spot and collected two RBI on both insurance runs.

After trailing 1-0 in the first inning, Bushnell tied the game in the fourth when Jordan Kuykendall scored on an Anna Cardwell single, They took the lead for good on an RBI single from Alyssa Ferreira later in the inning.
 
Melia Croydon (11-11) went the distance in the circle for the Knights, allowing four runs on 11 hits, all singles.
 
Head Coach Katie Duroe said, "Miranda had another great day on the mound for us and hit lights-out. This was another full team effort and the girls were having fun and staying loose."
 
GAME TWO:  Warner Pacific 8, Bushnell 5 
 
The Knights rallied to salvage a split on the day as they took the non-conference game behind an 11-hit performance. Macy Besuyen, Paityn Willoughby, Ashton Porter, and Emma Foster all had two hits for the visitors. Foster collected four RBI while Porter punched her first home run of the season.
 
WPU scored all eight of their runs in the first three innings, all before Leslie Reynaga came in to pitch in relief. The sophomore had another strong effort, scattering two singles while striking out three batters over the final 4.1 innings of shutout ball.
 
Ferreira finished a four-hit day for the Beacons with another two singles, and Anabel Mendez also hit 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Jensen put a solid cap on her final home weekend with two more hits, including a two-run double in her final Rich Schwab Field at bat.
 
"Leslie did a great job coming in to pitch," said Duroe. "Her movement really threw Warner Pac's hitters off. Faith [Wayman] did a great job behind the plate. We started the game off slow and our bats just weren't able to close the gap."

In between games, Bushnell took time to honor their seniors in a small ceremony. Kerry Murphy, Jensen, Noel Balderston, and Cardwell (pictured, left to right) were recognized for their contributions to the Beacon program. Coach Duroe said, "I just want to say thank you to our seniors. We aren't done yet, but they have been such a blessing to our program. Whether we had them for one year or all four, Anna, Noel, Miranda, and Kerry have all left their mark on our program. They have set such a strong foundation for our program that the younger ones can now build upon."
 
The Beacons will return to action on the road next weekend, closing out the regular season against Northwest University (7-25) in Kirkland, Washington. While they face an uphill battle to get there, the Beacons are not mathematically eliminated from the post-season chase. With three conference games remaining, they sit three games behind both Warner Pacific and Eastern Oregon who are tied for fifth and sixth place. Six teams qualify for the post season.