GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The Eastern Oregon University softball team returned to its winning ways on Saturday afternoon, as the Mountaineers bounced back from a game-one defeat to Great Falls with a seven-run triumph in game two to snap a five-game losing skid.
GAME ONE
GREAT FALLS 8, EOU 2
EOU left six runners stranded in the final three innings en route to falling short in game one, 8-2.
Senior first baseman Marisa Gonzalez batted 2-for-3 with two RBI to direct the Mountaineers, while senior shortstop Haley Hess hit 2-for-4 and added two runs.
In six innings of action, junior pitcher Haylie Van Laethem collected three strikeouts and yielded four earned runs in the losing effort.
After Gonzalez belted a strong infield hit to plate Hess and put EOU on the board, the Argos responded with six runs in the first and second frames to build an early lead.
Gonzalez tacked on her second RBI in the fifth inning with an infield single to cut the deficit to four (6-2), but EOU failed to score runners on second and third in the fifth and seventh innings to come up short.
GAME TWO
EOU 9, GREAT FALLS 2
In game two, the Mountaineers plated five runs in the opening two stanzas, and sophomore pitcher Hailey Kline tossed four strikeouts to seal a 9-2 victory.
Gonzalez continued her strong day at the dish with three hits and two runs, while senior center fielder Shelby Baertsch and junior designated player Lauren Burchak added two hits apiece.
Kline returned to her winning ways in the circle, tossing a no-hitter in four of the seven innings.
EOU tallied four runs on three hits in the opening stanza to command an early edge. Hess crossed home plate on an Argos error, and then Burchak followed with an RBI single to second base make it a 2-0 game. EOU went on to tack on two more runs thanks to some wild pitches by Great Falls.
Holding on to a 5-2 lead in the fifth stanza, Gonzalez trotted her way across home plate while Burchak stole second to extend the advantage back to four (6-2).
The Mountaineers swelled the damage to six (8-2) via an RBI double by Baertsch and another Argos error, and Kline compelled Great Falls (17-11, 11-7 CCC) to just one hit in the final three innings to post the victory.
GAME BALL GOES TO...
Gonzalez – The senior first baseman carried EOU at the dish after batting 5-for-7 on the afternoon with three RBI.
UP NEXT
EOU (21-19, 10-8 CCC) hosts British Columbia and Northwest on April 15-16 for its final home doubleheaders of the 2016 campaign.
The Mountaineers will square off against British Columbia for its 'Think Pink' game on Friday at 2 p.m. Breast cancer survivors receive free admission, while fans wearing pink get in for half price.
