KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Back-to-back losses haven't been a common occurrence in the past month for the Eastern Oregon University softball team, but (RV) Oregon Tech had other plans, as the Owls belted 30 hits to complete the doubleheader sweep over the Mountaineers.
GAME ONE
(RV) OIT 13, EOU 7
OIT outhit EOU, 17-11, and the Mountaineers coughed up three errors en route to dropping game one, 13-7.
Senior center fielder Shelby Baertsch batted 3-for-4 with a team-high three RBI, while junior right fielder Cheyenne Barker and senior first baseman Marisa Gonzalez added two RBI apiece.
Both junior pitcher Haylie Van Laethem and sophomore hurler Ashley Driscoll saw action for EOU and combined for 10 groundouts.
EOU (20-16, 9-5 CCC) found itself hitless and down 7-0 in the fourth inning before Baertsch mustered an RBI single to center field to plate Barker.
After OIT (20-13, 13-3 CCC) responded with three more runs to take a nine-run (10-1) advantage, EOU plated six runs in the fifth thanks to a trio of two-run doubles by Barker, Gonzalez, and Baertsch.
The Owls tacked on three more runs in the sixth and seventh innings, and with Kelly Scott surrendered only two more hits for the remainder of the contest to halt the comeback.
GAME TWO
(RV) OIT 9, EOU 4
EOU left 10 runners stranded in the second game of the doubleheader and watched OIT plate six runs in the fourth frame to pull away for a 9-4 victory.
Senior shortstop Haley Hess went 3-for-4 at the dish, while Gonzalez batted 2-for-2 with one RBI. Baertsch, junior catcher Alex Shuster, and sophomore second baseman Maryssa Santi registered one RBI apiece.
Sophomore pitcher Hailey Kline tossed two strikeouts in the losing effort for the Mountaineers.
Trailing 3-0 in the second stanza, EOU got on the board with an RBI single by Shuster. Kline kept the Owls hitless in the second and third innings to give the Mountaineers a chance, but EOU left a total of three runners stranded in that stretch.
OIT made EOU pay, plating six runs on six hits in the fourth stanza to pull away and snag a 9-1 lead. The Mountaineers extended the affair thanks to a pair of runs in the fifth, but the Owls ultimately captured their fourth-straight victory.
GAME BALL GOES TO...
Gonzalez – A senior out of Nyssa, Ore., Gonzalez hit 3-for-6 with three RBI and posted 17 putouts in the two games without an error.
UP NEXT
EOU heads to Helena, Mont., on April 8 for a twinbill against Carroll College. First pitch in game one is slated for 11 a.m.
