LA GRANDE, Ore. – Mountaineers Softball hits the road this weekend for what will be their toughest test of the 2022 season as they get set to battle a NAIA top-10 foe. Eastern Oregon is in Ashland this weekend to take on-state rival and sixth-ranked Southern Oregon.

OPPONENT
No. 6 Southern Oregon (19-5, 5-1 CCC)

WHERE
Ashland, Ore. - SOU Softball Field

WHEN
Sunday-Monday, March 20-21
Sunday, March 20 - 12 & 2 p.m.
Monday, March 21 - 11 a.m. & 1 p.m.

First Pitch
• The Mountaineers (16-5, 6-0 CCC) face their second ranked opponent of the year and first inside the top-10 when they take on the Raiders.
• EOU is currently on a 10-game winning streak, with six of them coming in CCC play.
• Eastern is still one of three teams left in the CCC that are undefeated in conference action.
• Following the weekend road series, the Mounties will return home to take on University of Providence next weekend.

How to Watch/Follow
• Live video coverage for this weekend's series can be found on the Mountie Sports Network at www.eousports.com/watch. The games will be produced by Southern and will be Pay-Per-View at $5 for the day.
• Live stats coverage for this weekend can be accessed by clicking the respective link above and by going to the EOU Softball schedule page.
• All home games this year will be webcast on the Mountie Sports Network at www.eousports.com/watch. All EOU home games will be Pay-Per-View and can be purchased for $7.95 per game or $11.95 for a day pass. Fans can also purchase an Eastern Oregon All-Access pass to watch all 2021-22 EOU home sporting events for $100.
• Livestreams for all home games will begin 15 minutes prior to first pitch.
• Live stats coverage for EOU Softball games this season can be accessed at www.eousports.com/livestats.

Story Lines
• EOU has already matched its win total from last season with 16 wins in their 21 games played.
• The Mounties are currently on a 10-game winning streak and a 6-0 start in CCC play.
• Entering the weekend, Southern has won each of the last 10 contests against Eastern.
• EOU's match-up against No. 6 SOU will be their second ranked opponent of the year.

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• The Mountaineers continued their winning ways with a 4-0 sweep of British Columbia in Pendleton last weekend.
• Day one saw the Mounties hold the Thunderbirds to just one run in each game as they won 4-1 and 7-1. 
• Day two belonged to EOU as the team completed the CCC sweep, 3-0, and overall sweep, 4-0, of UBC. Eastern won by finals of 6-3 and 11-4 to improve to 16-5.
• In the circle, Amanda Smith had two wins and racked up 16 strikeouts for the weekend. Abby Giles earned a save in game one on day two and hit a grand slam home run in the finale.
• Hannah Tyree and Caitlin Crist also hit two home runs over the weekend, while Karsyn Zaragoza had one. 

Series History vs. Southern Oregon
• Last season, the Raiders swept the Mountaineers in La Grande, 4-0, to secure the regular season sweep.
• All-time, Southern is 62-28 against Eastern. EOU last defeated the Raider back in 2018 with a 3-2 win in the series finale. 
• The last time the Mounties won a series over SOU was back in 2016 when the team picked up a 4-0 sweep in Ashland. 

Breaking out the Brooms
• So far, the Mountaineers have picked up the series sweep against four opponents this season.
• In CCC play, EOU has swept its first two series, 3-0, and has won 4-0 overall in both.
• The Mountaineers 10-game winning streak is their longest since winning 11 back in 2018.

Comin' Out Swingin'
• Three players are batting over .300 in Kayla Berg (.367), Hannah Tyree (.333), and Taylor Dow (.324).
• Berg and Tyree are tied for the lead in RBI with 15 apiece. Tyree leads the way in hits with 23.
• Berg leads the team in doubles with 11 and a team best three home runs. 
• Caitlin Crist and Tyree are both tied for the lead in runs scored with 16 each. 
• Tyree is second in doubles hits with 10 and is tied for second in homers with Crist at two.
• Dow is tied for second in hits with Tyree at 22. She has eight RBI 
• Grace Gaither has drawn a team-high nine walks. Second in walks with eight is Karsyn Zaragoza and Crist.

Swing and a Miss!
• Through 21 games, the Mounties have fanned 98 batters and allowed 36 walks.
• Eastern has a 2.50 team ERA to start the year and is holding batters to a .222 average.
• Amanda Smith leads the team in strikeouts with 48 and is 7-1 on the year.
• Smith has pitched six complete games and earned three saves.
• Mckenna Stallings is second in strikeouts with 23 and is 4-2 with a 2.15 ERA.
• Abby Giles has an ERA at 0.31 in seven games played and 22.2 innings pitched.
• Kayla Berg is third strikeouts with 16 in 17.2 innings pitched.

Stat Leaders (As of March 17)
• The Mountaineers have the second best team ERA in the CCC at 2.50. 
• Eastern is fourth in fielding percentage at .959. 
• Kayla Berg still leads the CCC in doubles hits with 11.
• Hannah Tyree is tied for second in doubles smacked with 10. 
• Amanda Smith is fourth in total strikeouts with 48. She is tied for fourth in wins 
• Caitlin Crist is tied for fifth in stolen bases with 11.
• Smith also leads the CCC in saves with three on the year. 
• Abby Giles leads the way in opponent batting average at .171.

Scouting the No. 6 Raiders
• The Raiders enter the weekend series with a 19-5 overall record and are 5-1 in CCC play. They are 7-2 at home and currently ranked sixth in the latest NAIA top-25 poll.
• SOU is batting .359 as a team and have scored 193 runs. They have 174 RBI in 24 games played and have hit 18 home runs.
• Defensively, the Raiders have a .972 fielding percentage. They have committed 18 errors and have turned nine double plays.
• In the circle, Southern has a 3.20 team ERA. They have thrown 124 strikeouts so far, are holding batters to a .277 average, and have given up just seven home runs.
• Riley Donovan is the top hitter with a .453 batting average. She has a team leading 32 RBI, has hit six home runs to lead the way and has scored 21 runs.
• Deja Acosta is the team leader in stolen bases. She has 21 on 22 attempts and is second in hitting with a .395 average. She has scored the most runs with 31 and is second in RBI with 24.
• Ashton Cathey is second in home runs hits with five on the year and is hitting .367. She has scored 11 runs and tallied 11 hits.
• Second on the team in stolen bases is Sarah Kerling. She is a perfect 13-13 on the year and is hitting .344 in 24 starts.
• Katie Machado leads the pitching staff with 57 strikeouts on the year in 62.2 innings. She is 8-2 in 13 appearances, has pitched six complete games and has a 2.01 ERA.
• Second in strikeouts is Cayla Willaims with 25. She is undefeated at 5-0 in eight appearances and boasts a 2.05 ERA. She leads the way in saves with two.

Up Next
• Should Mother Nature allow it, EOU will return home next weekend to La Grande to face University of Providence March 25-26. Day one action begins at 2 p.m. with day two starting at 11 a.m.

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