Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score
EUGENE, Ore. – The Eastern Oregon University softball team split with the Northwest Christian University, 4-3 and 12-4, Saturday, in a Cascade Collegiate Conference doubleheader.
The Mountaineers (12-23) (4-17) picked up its first road win since March 23, at Menlo College. After scoring four runs in the first inning, EOU held off a Northwest Christian rally in Game 1.
Kassi Reisbeck started the run for Eastern with a lead-off double.
Ashleigh Byrne then walked, and
Iris Woodhead solidified the run with a double of her own scoring Reisbeck. Byrne scored later off of an
Ashli Hughes sacrifice bunt. Hughes and Woodhead crossed home plate at different times to round out the Mountaineer scoring.
The Beacons (18-24) (8-12) got their first run in the fourth inning on an RBI double by Brittany Robles, scoring Brooke Davis. NCU then made their last ditch effort in the seventh. Trailing 4-1, Rebecca Lillegard walked to open the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch. Another walk to Kristen DeHaven put two runners on and Jonni Byrne followed with an RBI single, making it 4-2 as Lillegard came home. Soon after, Lissa Hatefi grounded out to second base, but it was a fruitful ground ball as DeHaven scored from third. That would be it for the rally, however, as another grounder ended the game.
Jennifer McDonnell picked up the victory in the complete game for the Mountaineers. The freshman struck out five batters and walked five others. Lillegard (1-6) took the loss for the Beacons.
The second game became an entirely different story for NCU as they collected ten hits in a 12-4, six-inning mercy rule victory. Davis took to the mound and set the tone for the Beacons, striking out six batters over the first two innings.
The offense did their part, scoring a run in the first, three runs in the second, and seven runs in the third as they established an 11-0 lead. Kalyssa Koontz then came in to pitch in the third inning, and was unable to fare as well as Davis. In the bottom of the fourth, EOU scored four runs, getting three of them on an RBI double from Reisbeck.
With their lead cut to seven runs, 11-4, the Beacons needed one more to invoke the eight-runs-after-five-innings mercy rule. They pulled it off in the sixth as Davis scored once again, this time on a sacrifice fly from Robles.
Davis (9-13), ended up returning to pitch the final two innings, striking out nine batters in four innings of work while not allowing a single hit. The sophomore has now extended a school-record scoreless innings streak to 21 straight.
The Mountaineers return to action Sunday against NCU again in Eugene. The first pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. at James Park. The doubleheader is a reschedule from an April 3 snow out in La Grande.
