LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Eastern Oregon University Softball team was swept by the visiting Whitworth University Pirates on Wednesday afternoon at Peggy Anderson Field. EOU dropped game one, 11-3, before falling in the second game, 7-1.
Game One (Whitworth 11 EOU 3)The Pirates jumped on the Mountaineers' starter,
Lindsey Walchli, early in the first game. Walchli gave up five runs, four earned, in before recording two outs in the inning. Shannon Wessel recorded an RBI single putting the Pirates on the board. After two runs scored, on a fielder's choice, Kayla Batastini recorded a 2-run double putting Whitworth up 5-0.
Whitworth added to their lead in the top of the second inning as Peyton McMahon hit a solo home run to right field extending the Pirates' lead to 6-0.
The Mountaineers cut the Pirates lead in half in the bottom of the third inning. With two outs,
Samantha Scott drew a four pitch walk to get the Mountaineers started.
Cassie Wendt followed with a single to left field and on the play the Whitworth left fielder recorded a fielding error, which allowed Scott to score and Wendt to advance to third base.
Marisa Gonzalez followed with a two run home run to right center, cutting Whitworth's lead down to three, 6-3.
After trimming the lead down to three, the Pirates answered back. With two runners on, Shannon Wessel tripled to center field extending their lead to 8-3. McMahon grounded out on the next play, which scored Wessel to put the Pirates ahead, 9-3.
After holding the Mountaineers hitless in the bottom of the fourth inning, Whitworth grew their lead to 11-3. Batastini hit a solo home run in the top of the fifth, extending their lead to 10-3. With one out, Alyssa Hall singled to the shortstop. Chelsey Hayes followed with a double, which scored Hall, giving Whitworth the 11-3 lead.
Trailing by eight, 11-3, in the bottom of the inning, the Mountaineers continued to battle. After the first two EOU batters were retired, Wendt drew a walk. Gonzalez reached base after being hit by a pitch. However, that is all EOU would get as
Shelby Baertsch hit into a fielders' choice to end the game, as EOU fell 11-3.
Game Two (Whitworth 7 EOU 1)Makayla Lefever kept the Mountaineers bats quiet in the second game as she scattered four hits pitching a complete game. In her seven innings of work Lefever only threw 75 pitchers.
Both teams' bats were quiet to start the second game, as both teams combined for two hits in the first two innings of the game. Whitworth's bats started to wake up in the third inning. Hall drew a walk to start the inning for the Pirates. She then stole second base, and scored on a Megan John single to right field. Wessel followed with a double to right field moving John to third base. However, the Pirates could not get another run across and going to the bottom of the third inning, EOU trailed 1-0.
Whitworth grew their lead to 3-0 in the top of the fifth inning. John doubled to right center to start the inning and Wessel singled to shortstop. With two runners on, McMahon doubled to center field scoring two to extend the Pirates' lead to 3-0.
After getting a hit in the first inning, Lefever kept the Mountaineers bats quiet as they did not collect their second hit until the bottom of the fifth inning. Baertsch collected the second hit for the Mountaineers as she hit a home run to left field putting the Mountaineers down 3-1.
Whitworth added to their lead in the top of the sixth inning. With a runner on second base, Wessel hit a two run home run to left field extending the Pirates' lead to 5-1. Lefever continued to shut down the Mountaineers as she sat the Mountaineers down in order in the bottom of the sixth inning.
The Pirates added more runs to their lead in the top of the seventh inning. Batastini and Kelsey Downey drew back-to-back walks, putting two runners on. After a strikeout, Hayes doubled to left center scoring one and increasing the Pirates lead to 6-1. John followed with an RBI ground out, extending the lead to 7-1.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Lefever retired the first two EOU hitters. With two outs, Gonzalez singled up the middle to put a runner on for EOU. Gonzalez's hit was the only hit EOU would collect in the inning and the Mountaineers fell, 7-1, to Whitworth.
The Mountaineers return to action on Friday when they take on Oregon Tech at 2 p.m. in Klamath Falls.
