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WESTERMAN

Softball Seth Dahle, Sports Information Director

Spanier Leads EOU Softball in Twinbill Split With Northwest Nazarene

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NAMPA, Idaho – Junior third baseman Chelsea Spanier hit her first-career grand slam in game one to highlight a seven-run inning, and she ultimately finished the day with seven RBI to lead the EOU softball team in a doubleheader split with Northwest Nazarene.
 
GAME ONE – EOU 7, NNU 4
Anchored by Spanier's second-inning grand slam, EOU used a seven-run second inning to take down Northwest Nazarene in game one, 7-4.
 
Senior designated player Lauren Burchak paced the Mountaineers with a 2-for-3 effort at the dish with one RBI, while center fielder Kaitlyn Reynolds also mustered a hit and one RBI for the Blue and Gold.
 
After Reynolds' RBI single put EOU on top 1-0, Spanier delivered a two-out grand slam down the left-field line to swell the gap to 5-0. Senior first baseman Cheyenne Barker followed with a single to right center, and then Burchak smacked an RBI double to extend the lead to six. To cap EOU's seven-run second stanza, senior right fielder Jorden Gerlach launched an RBI single to score Burchak and provide the Blue and Gold plenty of breathing room.
 
In the circle, junior righty Hailey Kline threw a no-hitter in five innings with five strikeouts, while rookie Kiersten Murphy saw action for the first time, yielding four earned runs in the sixth inning.
 
GAME TWO – NNU 10, EOU 9
In game two, EOU fought back with two runs in the top of the seventh to take a 9-8 lead before Northwest Nazarene (7-10) rallied with a two-out, two-run double in the bottom half of the frame to win in walk-off fashion.
 
Spanier batted 2-for-3 with three RBI to continue her strong day at the dish, while junior shortstop Lena Richards went 3-for-5 with two RBI. In addition, Burchak, Reynolds, and senior catcher Alex Shuster added two hits apiece. 
 
Three pitchers saw action for the Blue and Gold, highlighted by senior hurler Haylie Van Laethem, who tossed four innings and forced 10 groundouts.
 
Thanks to a first-inning RBI triple by Spanier and sacrifice fly by Burchak, EOU carried a 2-0 lead into the fourth inning, where the Mountaineers tacked on four more runs to go up by six.
 
After the Crusaders responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth, the Mountaineers added an insurance score in the sixth, as Burchak singled to center field to drive home senior pinch runner Lacey Usabel and put EOU on top, 7-3.
 
Five Crusader runs on five hits in the bottom of sixth gave the home team its first lead (8-7) of the game, but Spanier fired back with a clutch two-out, two-run single in the seventh to help EOU regain the edge, 9-8.
 
But with two outs and two runners in scoring position for Northwest Nazarene, Lisa Sylvester delivered a walk-off two-run double to win the game for the Crusaders.
 
UP NEXT
EOU (3-4) hosts Oregon Tech on Friday at 2 p.m.
 
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Players Mentioned

Cheyenne Barker

#23 Cheyenne Barker

UTL
5' 8"
Redshirt Senior
L/L
Lauren Burchak

#25 Lauren Burchak

IF
5' 8"
Senior
R/R
Jorden Gerlach

#20 Jorden Gerlach

IF
5' 5"
Senior
R/R
Hailey Kline

#16 Hailey Kline

P
6' 1"
Junior
R/R
Kaitlyn Reynolds

#11 Kaitlyn Reynolds

OF
5' 3"
Junior
L/R
Alex Shuster

#18 Alex Shuster

C/IF
5' 5"
Senior
R/R
Lacey Usabel

#21 Lacey Usabel

OF
5' 8"
Senior
R/R
Haylie Van Laethem

#14 Haylie Van Laethem

P
5' 6"
Senior
L/R
Lena Richards

#1 Lena Richards

C/IF
5' 1"
Junior
L/R
Chelsea Spanier

#3 Chelsea Spanier

IF
5' 7"
Junior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Cheyenne Barker

#23 Cheyenne Barker

5' 8"
Redshirt Senior
L/L
UTL
Lauren Burchak

#25 Lauren Burchak

5' 8"
Senior
R/R
IF
Jorden Gerlach

#20 Jorden Gerlach

5' 5"
Senior
R/R
IF
Hailey Kline

#16 Hailey Kline

6' 1"
Junior
R/R
P
Kaitlyn Reynolds

#11 Kaitlyn Reynolds

5' 3"
Junior
L/R
OF
Alex Shuster

#18 Alex Shuster

5' 5"
Senior
R/R
C/IF
Lacey Usabel

#21 Lacey Usabel

5' 8"
Senior
R/R
OF
Haylie Van Laethem

#14 Haylie Van Laethem

5' 6"
Senior
L/R
P
Lena Richards

#1 Lena Richards

5' 1"
Junior
L/R
C/IF
Chelsea Spanier

#3 Chelsea Spanier

5' 7"
Junior
R/R
IF