ASHLAND, Ore. – The Eastern Oregon University softball team made large strides on Friday afternoon, as the Mountaineers used runs in the early innings to complete the doubleheader sweep over No. 16 Southern Oregon (SOU).

EOU (20-14, 9-3 CCC) surpassed its win total from the 2015 campaign, while SOU (23-11) dropped to 9-5 in league play.

GAME ONE 
EOU 4, No. 16 SOU 1
Junior pitcher Haylie Van Laethem forced 18 groundouts and held SOU to only four hits, and the Mountaineers recorded three runs in the opening frame to sail to victory. 

EOU outhit SOU, 6-4, as junior left fielder Taylor Turner led the way with a 2-for-3 effort at the dish. Junior right fielder Cheyenne Barker mustered two RBI, while junior designated player Lauren Burchak and sophomore second baseman Maryssa Santi chipped in one RBI apiece. 

EOU struck early, plating three runs in the top of the first inning. With two runners in scoring position, Barker launched a two-RBI single to left field, and then Burchak smashed a solo homer to make it a 3-0 ball game. 

The Raiders scored their first run in the third and threatened to chip away with two runners on in the fourth with only one out, but Van Laethem forced a groundout and notched a strikeout to keep EOU in front. 

After the two CCC foes combined for three hits in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, the Mountaineers extended their advantage to three (4-1) thanks to an RBI single by Santi to drive home junior pinch runner Taylor Gerlach. 

In the bottom of the seventh, EOU's infielders got the job done, posting two forceouts at third base to cap the upset victory. 

GAME TWO
EOU 8, No. 16 SOU 3
The Navy and Gold snatched an early five-run lead and never looked back en route to collecting an 8-3 triumph to compete the twinbill sweep.

Senior center fielder Shelby Baertsch batted 3-for-4 with two RBI to pave the way for EOU, while senior shortstop Haley Hess added two hits and one RBI.

In the circle, junior pitcher Hailey Kline forced 13 fly outs and tallied two strikeouts to improve to 9-3 on the year.

EOU got on the board in the third inning with three runs to snag another early lead. Hess crossed home plate on a Raider fielding error, and then Baertsch smacked a two-run single up the middle to extend the lead to three (3-0).

Junior catcher Alex Shuster drew a hit-by-pitch in the fourth and later scored on an RBI single by Barker, and the Mountaineers tacked on another run in the fifth frame after Baertsch ran home on a wild pitch.

SOU managed to cut EOU's advantage to two (5-3) in the bottom of the fifth on two hits, including a two-run triple by Kelsey Randall.

However, the Mountaineers responded with a trio of runs in the seventh to stretch the lead back to five. With two runners on, Hess belted an RBI single, and then Barker and senior first baseman Marisa Gonzalez followed with RBI singles to tally the seventh and eighth runs of the day for EOU.

GAME BALL GOES TO...
Barker – After missing last season due to an ACL injury, Barker has played an imperative role this season. In the sweep over the Raiders, she registered two hits and four RBI to lead EOU.

UP NEXT
The Mountaineers return to the diamond tomorrow against Oregon Tech. First pitch in Klamath Falls, Ore., is set for 11 a.m. To follow live stats, click here.