By Gavin K Carpenter
The Bushnell Beacons (9-26, 3-15 CCC) will host the Corban Warriors (1-35, 0-18 CCC) in a four-game softball series at home in Springfield, Oregon this weekend. The Beacons are coming off their first tied series of conference play against Providence last weekend and are looking to continue their momentum against a Warriors team that has not won since February 12 and has lost each of their last eight games by seven runs or more.
Bushnell Beacons:
The Beacons enter this series with the most momentum since they entered conference play. After splitting a series with Providence, they enter this series having won three of their last five games and with their ace pitcher Emily Cole on fire. Cole has pitched 25 innings in the last five games; in that span, she’s allowed just three earned runs, including only two in her last three starts, all complete games. She recorded her first career shutout in the first game against Providence and threw more strikeouts than hits in two of her last four games. Pair this pitching dominance with an offense that has been very efficient with runners on, and you get a team that is very consistent and effective in low-scoring games, while being able to run with teams in higher-scoring games.
Corban Warriors:
The Warriors have not won a game since February 12. That being said, four of their last five conference series have been against NAIA Top 25 teams. Their offense has been the main struggle; only five of their batters have an average above the Mendoza line (.200), and only Madelyn Robinson has an average above .235. Vanessa Quinones has been the standout pitcher for the Warriors; she’s started 14 games this year with a WHIP of 2.03 and a 1.26 K/BB ratio. Stats are always dependent on strength of schedule, and Corban has faced one of the toughest in all of NAIA; they’ve proven against Providence and Carroll that they can compete against unranked teams.
Predictions:
The Beacons have a chance to win their first conference series this weekend. Look for Cole to win both of her starts and put up a few more strong performances. The question when she’s not pitching is twofold; how well can the Warriors limit go-ahead scoring situations for the Beacons, and how well the remaining pitching staff of Liz Hillier and Emma Fournier can do against a Corban team that has struggled against quality pitching in the past. The Beacons will win at least three of the four games and could be in position for a sweep if the pitching holds up.
The series will feature two doubleheaders on Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13. Games will be at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday, and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday.