ASHLAND, Ore. – A pair of two-out RBI singles in the top of the ninth inning sparked a furious seven-run inning for the Eastern Oregon University softball team, and the Mountaineers rode that advantage to a 7-1 victory over (RV) Corban in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament opener on Friday morning.

In addition, junior right fielder Cheyenne Barker launched a grand slam to record her 53rd RBI of the 2016 campaign and become the all-time single-season record holder at EOU.

KEY PERFORMANCES
While Barker's grand slam highlighted EOU's effort at the dish, both junior catcher Alex Shuster and junior third baseman Jorden Gerlach posted RBI singles in the ninth inning to start the run.

In the circle, sophomore pitcher Hailey Kline tossed three strikeouts and compiled her fifth shutout of the season.

Corban saw both Allie Mendez and Ashleigh Lynch hit 2-for-3, while Jessica Holsinger logged nine strikeouts in the losing effort.

THE STORYLINE
Corban (34-18) nearly cashed in the first run of the game in the second frame, as Raimee Sluder popped an attempted sacrifice fly to bring home Mendez. However, junior left fielder Taylor Turner had other plans, heaving the perfect throw to Shuster to notch a critical second out. With the game still scoreless in the fifth, EOU escaped a two-on, one-out jam after Kline forced a pop out and groundout to keep the Warriors at bay.

In the ninth stanza, it looked as though Holsinger refused to show any sign of fatigue, notching two quick strikeouts against the middle of the lineup. But the persistence of EOU at the dish refused to budge, as senior center fielder Shelby Baertsch and sophomore second baseman Maryssa Santi followed with singles to give the Mountaineers a chance.

A pair of two-out RBI singles by Shuster and Gerlach put EOU on the board, and then a catcher's interference moved Shuster home to make it a 3-0 ball game. With the bases still loaded, Barker delivered the icing on the cake with a grand slam to center field, and EOU mustered all the space it needed to claim a 7-1 triumph. 

EOU (26-21) collected its first victory over Corban in postseason play since 2006. 

GAME BALL GOES TO…
Barker – A junior out of Fruitland, Idaho, Barker became the single-season RBI leader at EOU after she belted a grand slam in the top of the ninth inning. She passed Cassie Wendt's record of 51 set in 2015.

UP NEXT
EOU advances to play West Division No. 1 seed Southern Oregon at 2 p.m. To follow live stats, click here.