Box Score 1 | Box Score 2


LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Eastern Oregon University softball team split its regular season home opener against No. 21 College of Idaho Tuesday.

The Mountaineers (9-15, 5-11 Cascade Collegiate Conference) snapped a six-game skid against their rivals with the second game 8-0 shutout victory. Alex Hillmick threw a complete-game one-hitter in the win. The first game provided a thrilling eighth inning finish.

In Game 1, it was the visiting Yotes that scored a pair of runs in the first inning, but Eastern would answer in the bottom of the seventh inning with two runs to send the game in the extra inning, where C of I would pull away.

Nickayla Skinner improved to 13-4 on the season, picking up the first game win. She threw all eight innings, allowing two earned runs on two hits. She struck out 11 Mountaineers, and walked only one.  At the plate, Skinner was 3-of-4 with a home run and a double, scoring twice. Ashli Hughes-Hayden had both hits for EOU.

College of Idaho opened the scoring in the top of the first inning as Alexis Macias drove in Nikki Shumway with a single down the right field line. Skinner would score two batters later, after Kristen Haugen singled up the middle of the field. The Yotes would have four hits in the opening inning and leave two runners on base.

The College of Idaho would leave three runners on base over the next three innings, until Eastern put its first runner in scoring position after its first hit in the bottom of the fifth inning. Hughes-Hayden singled to the shortstop for EOU's first hit off of Skinner.

Hughes-Hayden would have Eastern Oregon's next hit in the bottom of the seventh. With one out and a runner on first base, Hughes-Hayden homered over the center field fence.

The Yotes answered in the top of the eighth inning with a leadoff home run over the left center wall from Skinner, and then three batters later, a Rachael Strong home run over the left fence. Skinner then retired the final three Mountaineer batters in order to finish the game.

Kayla Anderson was credited with the loss, allowing 11 hits and four earned runs. She struck out five batters, and walked one. Anderson tossed 119 pitches, with 86 strikes. Skinner threw 85 strikes out of 122 pitches. Neither side committed an error. C of I left six runners on base, while EOU stranded three.

In the second game, Hillmick nearly threw a no-hitter in the five-inning contest, allowing a hit to the second-to-last batter. The sophomore struck out one College of Idaho (25-11, 8-8) batter, and also walked one batter. It was her fifth win of the season.

The Mountaineers' eight runs were a season-high, and the highest total of runs scored by EOU in a conference game since a 13-5 win at Corban on April 3, 2009.

Eastern improved to 8-3 when scoring before its opponent this season, as the Mountaineers pounded out four runs in the second inning. Hillmick crossed the plate first after a C of I fielder's choice on a Stephanie Maestretti hit. Suzie Espinoza then drove in a pair of runs with a single to right field. Maestretti would complete the scoring, being brought in by an Emily Anderson single.

The Mountaineers piled on four more runs in the bottom of the third inning. Sarah Jackson singled through the right side of the field, driving in Cassie Wendt and Hillmick. Lacey Price then doubled down the right field line, bringing Jackson home. Maestretti finished the scoring with an RBI single that drove Price in for the final run.

Hannah Johnson recorded C of I's lone hit with a single at third base. Macias and Kayla Park both threw two innings, with Macias picking up the loss. The Mountaineers finished with seven hits, being walked once and struck out once. Both teams committed one error.

The doubleheader was the first regular season home games for Eastern. Weather has cancelled eight EOU games, and postponed nine other contests this season. The original home regular season opener for the Mountaineers was cancelled on March 11 against British Columbia. Tuesday's C of I and Eastern doubleheader was originally scheduled for Caldwell, Idaho, but was switched home-and-away dates to March 25 at College of Idaho. The Yotes swept EOU in those games, 4-0 and 4-2.

There are eight conference contests left in the regular season for the Mountaineers beginning Friday at Concordia at 2 p.m. The Cavaliers swept EOU in Caldwell, earlier this season, 9-3 and 7-6. Live stats will be available on EOUSports.com. The College of Idaho travels to Northwest Christian Friday.