HELENA, Mont. – Eastern Oregon University Softball picked its second consecutive conference series win this weekend as the Mountaineers went 2-2 against the Carroll College Saints. EOU won the conference matchup 2-1 to take the CCC portion of the series.
 
Day 1
Game 1 – Eastern Oregon 8, Carroll College 2
How it Happened
• The Mountaineers (7-11, 4-2 CCC) racked up eight runs in nine hits to secure the series opening win. The Saints (4-11, 1-4 CCC) were not far behind in hits with seven but managed just two runs scored over the seven inning contest. EOU played a near clean game with just one error for the opener, while the Saints had two more at three.
• The first of the two runs for the Saints cam ein the bottom half of the first. The Mountaineers managed to get two outs in the frame, but a one-out double followed by a two-out single allowed the leadoff runner to score and give the Saints a 1-0 lead early.
• Eastern tied the game back up at 1-all in the top of the second. Jacie Howton led off with a double to left field and was immediately plated home on the next at bat. Makenzie Chambers hit a deep single to center field that allowed Howton to score. In the bottom half of the second starter Ashotn Kazmierski worked a 1-2-3 frame to get the bats back out for the Mountaineers.
• Carroll College responded with a three up, three down outing to start the third. In the bottom half, the Saints managed to get two runners on base thanks to a hit and the lone error of the day for EOU. Both runners were left stranded though to keep the game locked at 1-1 tie. Eastern then exploded for six runs in the fourth to open up the game.
• Olivia Zufelt led off with a single to right field. Two batters later, Chambers knocked a base hit to to center to bring in Zufelt and give EOU the 2-1 edge. The Saints managed to get back-to-back outs following the score but Eastern then went on a rally. Taylor Dow plated home run No. 3 for EOU with an RBI single to left to score Jacie Howton.
• Leading 3-1 with two runners on base, Madison Stateler stepped to the plate and delivered a two RBI double to left field to bring in Chambers and Dow. The next two runs for EOU came with the help of a pair of Carroll College errors. Both were in the infield and allowed Stateler and Jordan Henley to score the unearned runs.
• With a 7-1 lead, EOU closed out the fourth in quick fashion to take a six-run lead into the fifth. The eighth and final run for the Mountaineers came in the leadoff at bat on the swing of Howton. On the first pitch, she sent the ball well passed center field for the solo home run that put EOU up 8-1.
• The Saints managed to tack on their final run of the game in the bottom of the sixth. A fielder's choice allowed the Saints to bring in after they had managed to load the bases twice in the sixth. EOU managed to get a hit in the sixth and seventh but did not have to do much with it as the team's stout defensive play closed out the final two innings for the win.

Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Makenzie Chambers went 3-4 in the opener with two RBI and a run scored.
• Jacie Howton was two-3 with a home run and had one RBI to go along with three runs scored.
• Taylor Dow had one hit in three at bats and tacked on an RBI while also scoring one run.
• Madison Stateler finished 1-3 with two RBI and scored one run. 
• Haley Ebner had two RBI in the win.
• Ashton Kazmierski picked up the win in the circle to go to 2-5. She pitched five complete inning and had five strikeouts.

For the Saints
• Sarah Jenkins tallied two hits in four at bats and scored a run.
• Anna Davidson was 1-3 with an RBI.
• Haley Kampka went 1-3 and scored one run.
• Abby Hanley pitched a complete game in the loss. She had a game-high six strikeouts.

Game 2 – Carroll College 14, Eastern Oregon 10
How it Happened
• Game two got off to a solid start for the Saints (4-12, 1-6 CCC) who scored nine runs in the bottom half of the first inning to grab a 9-0 lead. Carroll College started with a 1-2-3 inning to start the contest before totaling the nine runs on six hits along with the help of two EOU errors.
• Eastern slowly chipped away at the lead scoring a run in the top of the second when Makayla Mauger hit an RBI single to left that brought home Makenzie Chambers. The Saints had two hits in the bottom of the frame but made nothing off it to keep the score at 9-1 after two innings.
• Alaina Wright led off the top of the third by drawing a walk. She then stole second and third base to get in a scoring position before a Jacie Howton RBI base hit plated her home. The run cut the Saints lead to seven at 9-2 but they responded in the bottom half scoring three runs to go ahead 12-2.
• Helping the Saints tack on three runs in the bottom of the third was a two-run homer to center field. Carroll College managed four hits in the frame to plate home the three runs. EOU got a leadoff hit in the fourth in Taylor Dow but she was left stranded. The Saints also had one hit but made nothing of it in the fourth.
• EOU's best outing on the bats came in the fifth as the team scored four runs to get within six at 12-6. Madison Stateler scored the first run on a Chambers RBI double. Dow plated the next two runs home with a single to center that brought in Haley Ebner and Chambers for the score. Kayla Berg capped the inning off with a single to second base that scored Dow before Carroll College closed out the inning.
• EOU worked a 1-2-3 frame to end the fifth and keep its deficit at six. The Mounties tacked on three runs in the top of the sixth to cut the Saints lead to four at 12-9. Jordan Henley led off with a single and on the next at bat Ebner scored her with a single to deep center field. The next two runs came when Chambers hit a home run to center field that scored her and Madison Parker.
• The Saints final two runs of the game came in the bottom of the sixth as they had a pair of hits that plated home the two runs. In the top of the seventh EOU looked to mount the late game comeback bu only managed to score one run. Stateler scored the lone run on a sacrifice fly from Ebner that brought the game to its final of 14-10.
 
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Makenzie Chambers went 3-5 with three runs scored and three RBI to go along with a home run.
• Taylor Dow was 2-3 in game two with two RBI and scored one run.
• Haley Ebner finished 1-2 and also had two RBI along with a run scored.
• Jacie Howton also added one RBI as she was 1-5 in the game.
• Abby Giles had four strikeouts in a relief effort in 3.1 innings pitched.
 
For the Saints
• Amber Brewer had five RBI while hitting 3-5. She also scored two runs in the win.
• Kaitlyn Ayers also totaled five RBI as she was 2-4 in the contest and scored two runs.
• Sarah Conway went 3-4 with one RBI and a run scored.
• Sarah Jenkins picked up the win in the circle as she pitched 5.1 innings in the start.
 
Day 2
Game 1 – Eastern Oregon 15, Carroll College 1 (6 innings)
How it Happened
• With the CCC portion of the series tied at 1-1, EOU came out strong on both sides of the ball to secure the 2-1 series win in conference play. EOU totaled 15 runs and disposed of the Saints in six innings. Nine runs in the sixth was the difference maker in the win for the Mounties.
• Three runs in the first helped EOU get up early on Carroll College. Alaina Wright was the first run to score as Makenzie Chambers singled to right to bring her home. Shelby Starr made a 3-0 game with a two RBI base hit to right field to score Haley Ebner and Chambers.
• Glori Cheevers pushed the Mountaineers lead to 4-0 in the second. She led off the inning with a triple to right and was plated home thanks to an error by the Saints that allowed her to score. Carroll College's lone run came in the bottom of the third on an RBI single to center field.
• The score remained 4-1 until the top of the fifth when EOU scored a pair of runs to go up 6-1. Back-to-back solo home runs for the Mountaineers was all it took. Jordan Henley got things started with the solo shot to center field on the first pitch. Ebner made 6-1 as she hit a homer on a 2-2 count to left that gave the Mountaineers the five-run edge.
• Carroll College looked to stay in the game but never found any consistency on offense. In the sixth, EOU exploded for the nine runs to ultimately secure the win. Kayla Berg led off with a solo home run to center to make it 7-1. Taylor Dow doubled to center to bring in the next run in Cheevers which made it 8-1.
• Madison Parker scored run No. 9 of the game to put EOU up by eight and potentially force the run rule. Olivia Zufelt then came in to pinch hit and smacked a two run homer to left on a full count pitch. The two-run shot put EOU up 11-1.
• Starr made it 13-1 with a two RBI double to center to bring in Sadie Bernard and Chambers. Cheevers ended the scoring surge for EOU with a two RBI double as well which scored Starr and Berg. The barrage of runs ultimately put the game away at 15-1.
 
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Shelby Starr had the most RBI with three as she went 2-4 at the plate and scored one run.
• Glori Cheevers had the most hits with three in four at bats. She scored two runs and had two RBI.
• Haley Ebner went 2-3 with a home run and one RBI. She also scored two runs.
• Makenzie Chambers also had two hits and scored two runs to go along with an RBI.
• Kayla Berg finished 2-4 with a home run and had one RBI. She also scored two runs in the win.
• Amanda Smith pitched a complete game to pick up the win. She struck out four batters in six innings pitched.
 
For the Saints
• Amber Brewer was 2-3 with an RBI.
• Kaitlyn Ayers also went 2-3.
• Sarah Jenkins finished 1-3 and scored a run.
• Abby Hanley suffered the loss. She pitched five innings and struck out four batters.

Game 2 – Carroll College 16, Eastern Oregon 10
How it Happened
• The Saints forced a 2-2 split for the series with the 16-10 win in the finale. Multiple run innings in the first, fourth, and fifth allowed them to secure the win.
• Carroll College opened the game with five runs in the opening frame on three hits. EOU tacked its first run in the second as Sadie Bernard singled to left to score Glori Cheevers. A throwing error by EOU in the bottom of the second allowed Carroll College to get the run back and push the lead back to five at 6-1.
• EOU's best offensive outing of the game came in the third as the team scored six runs to grab its first lead at 7-6. A bases loaded walk allowed Faith Huezo to score to start the run. Cheevers made it a 6-4 game with a two RBI single right to bring in Makayla Mauger and Olivia Zufelt.
• The game was tied up at 6-all when Meghan Krants knocked a two RBI single to center to plate home Shelby Starr and Cheevers. Mckenna Stallings was the final run to come in on a bases loaded walk and gave the Mountaineers the one run lead.
• The Saints answered in the bottom of the fourth scoring four runs to go up 10-7. EOU cut its deficit back to one in the top of the fifth. An RBI groundout from Mauger scored Jacie Howton before a Madison Stateler double to left plated home Huezo and made it a 10-9 game.
• The final six runs for the Saints came in the bottom half of the fifth. Helping the Saints push the lead back to six runs was a three-run home run to center field. EOU's final run of the game came in the top of the sixth when Haley Ebner doubled to left field to plate home Jordan Henley.
 
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Glori Cheevers was perfect 2-2 in the game with two runs scored and two RBI.
• Meghan Krantz also had two RBI while going 1-3 at the plate.
• Makenzie Chambers was 2-3 in the game.
• Kayla Berg struck out two batters in a relief effort to lead EOU's pitching staff.
 
For the Saints
• Haley Kampka was a clean 2-2 with six RBI and scored two runs.
• Sarah Conway went 2-3 with four RBU and scored a pair of runs.
• Jessica Nimmo was 2-3 in the games and scored four runs.
• Both Whitney Durocher and Haylee Curry had a hit and two RBI, respectively.
• McKenna Bessette picked up the win as he pitched four complete and struck out six batters.
 
By the Numbers
4 – The Mountaineers four home runs in game one of day two is the most in a single game this season.
44 – EOU's 44 total runs over the four-game series is the most against a single opponent this season.
2 – With the series win over the Saints, the Mounties have won both CCC series to start the 2021 campaign.
3 – In three starts in the circle, Amanda Smith is now 3-0 and has pitched two complete games.
10 – EOU drew a season-high 10 walks in the game two loss on Saturday.
 
Up Next
• The Mountaineers will remain on the road for their next series as they continue conference at College of Idaho. The four-game series is set for March 19-20 in Caldwell.

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