ASHLAND, Ore. – There's a first for everything – including a conference tournament championship. Sophomore second baseman Maryssa Santi delivered the walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning, and the Eastern Oregon University softball team ousted Great Falls, 3-2, to capture its first-ever Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) tournament title.

"Winning a championship is something that we've been talking about since the beginning," said head coach Betsy Westermann. "We could've easily rolled over after our first two weekends. Our team has a lot of fight. It's been a special group, and this team has a lot of potential. I am just so proud that they've come together to rise to the challenge. It's their determination and attitude that have made this happen."

KEY PERFORMANCES
Santi's final at-bat accounted for one of her two hits, while junior left fielder Taylor Turner batted 3-for-4 with one RBI. Junior catcher Alex Shuster went 2-for-3 with one RBI, and senior shortstop Haley Hess added two hits for the Mountaineers.

While sophomore pitcher Hailey Kline pitched the first five innings for EOU (29-21), junior hurler Haylie Van Laethem entered the game in relief in the sixth inning and captured her ninth victory of the season.

Great Falls (25-18), which eliminated Southern Oregon earlier in the day, saw Jocelyn Kaufman hit 3-for-4 with one RBI. In the circle, Keeley Van Blaricom dropped to 13-7 on the year in the losing effort.

THE STORYLINE
After Shuster put EOU on the board in the third with an RBI double down the left-field line, the Argos responded with two runs on three hits in the fourth to take a 2-1 edge. The deficit marked the first time the Mountaineers trailed in the entire tournament.

Finding itself in unfamiliar territory, EOU looked to bounce back in the fifth, putting two runners in scoring position with only one out. However, a pesky Great Falls squad notched a force out at home, and then Van Blaricom forced a pop out to hold off the rally attempt.

Down 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Hess and junior third baseman Jorden Gerlach launched two-out singles to keep the Mountaineers alive. That's when Turner smacked a swinging bunt that rolled between the circle and first base, advancing Gerlach home to knot the affair.

In the top of the eighth, the Argos advanced a runner to third with two outs before Van Laethem compelled a groundout to escape the jam.

A pair of EOU fly outs set up another two-out hole, but senior center fielder Shelby Baertsch lined a double to right center, pulling the Mountaineers just a base hit away from a dramatic victory. On a 2-2 count, Santi belted a hard grounder to second baseman Regan Bucks, and while Rucks attempted to flip the ball to first, Baertsch sprinted her way home to seize EOU's first-ever conference tournament championship.

GAME BALL GOES TO…
Santi – In the bottom of the eighth inning, Santi delivered the walk-off RBI single to seal the 3-2 victory.

UP NEXT
EOU will discover its postseason fate on May 10 when the NAIA announces the qualifiers and brackets of the 2016 NAIA Softball National Championship.