RICHLAND, Wash. – The Eastern Oregon University softball team nearly replicated day one of the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Crossover on Sunday afternoon, as the Mountaineers collected a lopsided win over Northwest Christian before being edged by No. 17 Corban.

GAME ONE
EOU 16, NCU 2 (Five Innings)
An 11-run first inning was all EOU needed to breeze past Northwest Christian (NCU), 16-2, in game one at the Columbia Fields.

EOU exploded for 16 hits, as five players recorded at least two in the victory.

Both senior first baseman Marisa Gonzalez and junior right fielder Cheyenne Barker tallied three RBI, while sophomore second baseman Maryssa Santi, freshman designated player Courtney Chase, and senior shortstop Haley Hess each tallied two hits and two RBI.

Two pitchers saw action in the circle for EOU, as both junior hurler Haylie Van Laethem and sophomore righty Ashley Driscoll combined for five strikeouts.

NCU's Madison Jones walked three of EOU's first five batters, and a two-run double by Gonzalez put the Mountaineers on the board.

EOU had the bases juiced for a majority of the opening stanza, and back-to-back two-run singles by Hess and Barker extended the Mountaineers' advantage to nine (9-0).

Gonzalez popped up a sac fly, and then Baertsch capped the 11-run inning with an RBI single to center field.

In the top of the second, EOU immediately loaded the bases and tacked on three more runs after an RBI by Barker (hit by pitch) and a two-run single by Chase.

The Mountaineers yielded just four hits in the final three innings to dial in the 14-run, five-inning victory.

GAME TWO
No. 17 Corban 5, EOU 3
In game two, EOU clung to a one-run lead in the fourth inning until Corban plated three-straight runs, and the Mountaineers ultimately suffered a heartbreaking 5-3 defeat.

Baertsch provided the go-ahead homer for the EOU, while Hess batted 2-for-3.

In the circle, junior pitcher Alexis Spence logged four innings and threw two strikeouts.

Trailing 1-0 in the second, Gonzalez opened with a single to right center, and then Baertsch followed with a two-run bomb to center to give EOU its first lead (2-1) over a ranked opponent this season.

However, the Mountaineers' advantage didn't last long, as both Grace Utto-Galameau and Taylor Eilders homered in the fourth and fifth innings to put the Warriors back on top, 4-2.

The Mountaineers plated a run in the top of the seventh and threatened to rally with two runners on, but Corban managed to hang on for the second-straight day over EOU.

UP NEXT
EOU kicks off its home schedule on Friday against Great Falls. First pitch at Peggy Anderson Field is set for 2 p.m.