LA GRANDE, Ore. – From bits of hail to sunny skies, and from a five-inning blowout to a two-run nail-biter, the Eastern Oregon University softball team survived all kinds of polar opposites on Thursday afternoon at Peggy Anderson Field.

Nevertheless, the Mountaineers captured their seventh-straight victory after completing the sweep (8-0, 4-2) over Northwest Christian (NCU), and head coach Betsy Westermann amassed her 50th-career victory at the helm.

EOU (15-13) improved to 6-2 in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) play, and the seven-consecutive victories marks the longest winning streak since 2010.

GAME ONE
EOU 8, NCU 0
Game one looked much like the first two meetings between the two squads, as EOU recorded five runs in the fifth inning to cap an 8-0 victory over NCU.

Junior designated player Lauren Burchak mustered her second grand slam in conference play, while senior first baseman Marisa Gonzalez and sophomore second baseman Maryssa Santi also homered for EOU.

In the circle, junior pitcher Haylie Van Laethem (6-8) tossed two strikeouts and confined the Beacons to four hits, while Janieve Boyles surrendered seven earned runs for NCU.

EOU logged its first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning, as Santi smashed a solo homer to left field.  

NCU (7-21, 3-7 CCC) put two runners in scoring position with two outs in the fourth, but Van Laethem forced a fly out to keep the Beacons scoreless.

In the bottom half of the fourth, junior right fielder Cheyenne Barker drew a leadoff walk, and then Gonzalez followed with a two-run shot to center to extend EOU's advantage to three.

After Van Laethem forced three-up, three-down in the fifth, EOU juiced the bases in the bottom half of the stanza. Gonzalez drew a bases-loaded walk to notch the RBI and swell EOU's lead to four, and then Burchak delivered the walk-off grand slam to seal the eight-run triumph.

GAME TWO
EOU 4, NCU 2
While game two of the twinbill was a little more interesting, EOU made sure to tack on four runs in the early innings to hold off NCU, 4-2.

Senior shortstop Haley Hess batted 3-for-3, while junior left fielder Taylor Turner, Barker, and Gonzalez posted two hits apiece.

Sophomore pitcher Hailey Kline (7-3) registered a career-high 12 strikeouts to tie Kayla Anderson's record set in 2012.

After Kline kept NCU hitless to open the affair, EOU got to work in the bottom of the first, plating two runs on three hits. Hess belted a leadoff single, and then Turner followed with an RBI double to center field to put the Mountaineers on the board. With Turner on third, Gonzalez smacked an RBI single to left center to cap the two-run inning.

Leading 3-0 in the third, Burchak mustered a powerful single to plate Barker who reached on a hit to left field. The Beacons finally managed to get their first run of the day in the fifth, as Parker Fritter launched her sixth homer of the season.

Both teams left two runners stranded in the fifth frame, and then NCU trimmed EOU's advantage to two (4-2) following an RBI double by Paige Griffith. With the momentum shifting into the gloves of the Beacons, Kline remained poised in the circle, tossing six-straight strikeouts to close the contest and keep NCU at bay.

GAME BALL GOES TO…
Kline – A transfer out of Blue Mountain Community College, Kline tied an EOU record with 12 strikeouts, including six critical K's to close the contest.

UP NEXT
EOU returns to the diamond on Saturday against No. 23 Corban. First pitch in La Grande is set for 11 a.m. All kids aged 12 and under receive free admission, and the first 25 in attendance get an EOU fan cup.