EUGENE, Ore. – The Bushnell softball team earned a Cascade Collegiate Conference sweep on Friday afternoon, taking a pair of games from Corban University, 7-2 and 9-1.
GAME ONE: Bushnell 7, Corban 2
Emily Cole (7-11) threw a complete-game two-hitter to power the Beacons to the victory in the opener. She struck out four batters and allowed just one earned run.
Bushnell fell behind early, courtesy of a Sydney Spickelmeier RBI double and a run coming across on an error in the top of the first inning.
The Beacons answered quickly, however, and took the lead for good in the bottom of the first.
Faith Wayman brought home two runs on an RBI single before
Suzi Krstic hit a sac fly to earn the defacto game-winning RBI.
Bushnell tacked on two more runs in the second on two-run single by
Haleigh Wambolt and
Ericka Allen posted a two-RBI single in the fourth. Allen finished the day hitting 2-for-3.
GAME TWO: Bushnell 9, Corban 1 (Six Innings)
Leadoff hitter
Taylor Kenworthy hit a walk-off triple in the bottom of the sixth inning in the night cap as the Beacons were able invoke the run rule for the first time since a non-conference game against Willamette back in February.
The Beacons did most of their damage during a five-run third inning that blew the game open. That inning saw Bushnell get back-to-back RBI doubles from Wayman and
Alyssa Ferreira, along with an RBI single from
Hannah Tennant and a two-run double down the left field line by
Kiley Campos.
Later, holding a 7-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth, a pair of walks put the potential winning runs on base path for the Beacons before Kenworthy brought them both in, ending the game on her triple as she found the left-center field gap.
The win doesn't come without holding the Warriors to just one run, and that strong pitching performance came via the arms of
Emma Fournier and
Liz Hillier. Fournier (2-2) got the start and went five innings, scattering six hits and allowing just the one unearned run. Hillier closed it out, throwing one inning without allowing a hit.
The Beacons (11-26, 5-15 CCC), who have now won five of their last seven games, close out the four-game series with Corban (1-36, 0-20) on Saturday, beginning at 11:00 am.
