CALDWELL, Idaho – Eastern Oregon University Mountaineers Softball was back on the diamond after a short two-day break for a pair of non-conference games against Carroll College and No. 17 College of Idaho Saturday afternoon. EOU spilt the day winning over Carroll College 15-10, before falling 9-2 to No. 17 College of Idaho.
 
Game 1 – Eastern Oregon 15, Carroll College 10
How it Happened
• EOU (2-6) had its best offensive outing of the season in the win over Carroll College (0-2). The Mounties had 19 hits, two of which were home runs as they racked up 15 runs. EOU committed just two errors in the win, while the Saints had three.
• The Mountaineers scored the game's first run in the opening frame to lead 1-0 after one. Alaina Wright led off with a single and two batters later Jordan Henley scored her with an RBI base hit. The Saints answered in the bottom half of the first scoring three runs to lead 3-1 before EOU closed out the inning.
• The score remained 3-1 until the third when EOU opened things up with five runs scored on six hits to grab a 6-3 lead. A leadoff error by Carroll College got Wright on base. Two batters later Henley once again plated her home with an RBI infield single. Henley was rewarded for her efforts when Makenzie Chambers scored her on a deep RBI single to left field which tied the game at 3-all.
• Taylor Dow got the Mountaineers the lead back on her at bat with a single to left field which allowed Chambers to score. Kayla Berg then stepped up to the plate and delivered a home run ball to center field on a 3-1 count. Her two-run shot was first of the season for Eastern and gave the Mounties a three-run lead.
• Following a quick outing to close the third inning, EOU kept its momentum going with the bats and scored four runs in the fourth on four hits. Henley led off with a single and was followed up by Madison Stateler who also hit a single. Haley Ebner hit home run No. 2 of the day for EOU as she sent the ball well past the center field fence for the three-run shot that pushed the Mounties lead to 9-3.
• Run No. 4 for the inning came from an RBI groundout from Makayla Mauger. She plated home Dow who got on base from a walk before a single to right field from Berg got her over to third base. With the groundout, EOU jumped out to a 10-3 lead before the Saints ended the scoring surge.
• Fast forward to the bottom of the fifth, the score was still 10-3 in favor of EOU but Carroll College managed to score three runs and cut the lead to 10-6. The Saints did not have a walk in the fifth but a plethora of walks by EOU allowed runners to score.
• EOU got all three runs back in the top of the sixth to push the score to 13-6. Ebner led off with a double and was immediately scored on an RBI base hit from Chambers. Dow followed that up with her second RBI of the day and scored Dow to make it 12-6 quickly. Two batters later an Olivia Zufelt infield single plated home Dow and made it a seven-run lead for the Mounties.
• The Saints responded for the second consecutive inning scoring three runs yet again in the bottom of the sixth. This time the Saints had three hits to score their three runs and had help on an error from the Mountaineers. With the three runs, Carroll College trailed 13-9 after six innings of work.
• Henley led off the seventh with another single. Ebner got on with a single as well before a hit by pitch on Chamber loaded the bases. The Saints then walked Dow to allow Henley to score. Berg brought in the final run in pinch runner Haley Crudo on a sacrifice fly to center to make it a 15-9 lead for Eastern.
• EOU then turned a double play in the bottom of the seventh after committing an error against the leadoff batter. The Saints then hit a single and a double to plate home their final run before EOU closed out the game with a fly to secure the 15-10 win.
 
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Haley Ebner was 3-5 with a home run and three RBI. She also scored two runs to lead EOU.
• Kayla Berg also had a home run as she went 3-4 with three RBI and a run scored.
• Jordan Henley had the most hits on the day with four in five at bats. She tallied two and scored a game-high three runs.
• Taylor Dow also had a game best three runs scored while batting 2-3 with two RBI.
• Alaina Wright scored two runs in the win and had one hit in five plate appearances.
• Makayla Mauger got the win in her start in the circle to go to 1-0. She fanned three batters in three innings pitched.
 
For the Saints
• Whitney Durocher led Carroll College going 2-3 with four RBI and two runs scored.
• Kaitlyn Ayers tallied two RBI and batted 1-3 in the loss.
• Emma Hamilton scored a run and had an RBI in a 2-4 hitting performance.
• Jessica Nimmo scored the most runs with three and went 1-2 at the plate.
 
Game 2 – No. 17 College of Idaho 9, Eastern Oregon 2
How it Happened
• Game two was a low scoring affair until the sixth inning when C of I (6-6) scored seven to help take down the Mountaineers by seven. EOU managed just two hits in the game and committed five errors while C of I had eight hits and just one error in the contest.
• The Yotes' first two runs came in the opening frame. They had just one hit in the first inning, but two EOU errors allowed the Yotes to score the two runs and grab the early 2-0 lead. The score remained 2-0 until the fourth when EOU got a run on the board.
• Jordan Henley got on base thanks to an error by C of I. She was immediately rewarded as Haley Ebner smacked a double to deep center field and plated Henley home to cut the Mountaineers deficit to 2-1.
• The Mountaineers held the score at 2-1 with solid defense until the top of the sixth when they tacked on a run to tie the contest at 2-2. Madison Stateler led off the inning with a double and made it to third on a sacrifice bunt from Henley. Stateler then scored on the merit of an RBI groundout from Ebner.
• C of I responded in the bottom half of the sixth scoring with seven runs to push its lead to seven, 9-2. Late hits paired with three untimely errors by EOU allowed the Yotes to secure the seven-run win. The Yotes managed to load the bases before a bases clearing single allowed C of I to score runners. EOU was unable to respond as the Yotes held on for a 9-2 victory.
 
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Haley Ebner was 1-3 with an RBI.
• Madison Stateler went 1-2 and scored one run.
• Jordan Henley scored the only other run for the Mounties.
• Ashton Kazmierski pitched 5.1 innings in the start. She struck out one batter.
 
For the Yotes
• Aleah Mendiola went 2-3 with two RBI and a run scored.
• Micha Fortune was a clean 2-2 at the plate.
• Haley Loffer batted 1-2 and scored two runs.
• Annie polster pitched a complete game to pick up the win. She had six strikeouts in 26 batters faced.
 
By the Numbers
21 – The Mountaineers totaled 21 hits on the day, the most this season for a single day.
5 – The two home runs by EOU against Carroll College totaled five runs scored.
7 – EOU committed seven errors on the day, with five coming against the Yotes.
4 – The Mounties scored multiple runs in four different innings in the win against the Saints.
 
Up Next
• The Mountaineers will face these same two squads tomorrow (Sunday) to wrap up the non-conference portion of their schedule. EOU faces Carroll College at 1 p.m. PT and ends again with College of Idaho at 3 p.m. PT.

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