LA GRANDE, Ore. – On a rainy Friday afternoon, No. 4 Eastern Oregon split the day with RV British Columbia, falling 5-0 in the opener before rallying for an 11-6 win in game two after a 90-minute rain delay.
Game 1
The opener featured a tight matchup, with the Thunderbirds sitting just one spot behind the Mountaineers in the conference standings.
UBC threatened early with a leadoff double, but
Natalie Dimitrov quickly settled in, retiring the side with a groundout, flyout, and strikeout. Eastern answered by putting two runners on base in the bottom half, though British Columbia worked out of trouble to keep the game scoreless.
Dimitrov remained effective in the second, inducing three groundouts—each handled cleanly by
Lexi Grumbois. Once again, Eastern managed to get runners aboard but couldn't capitalize, as a pop-up bunt, groundout, and strikeout ended the inning.
Both teams continued to trade quiet frames through the fifth, with limited opportunities and no runs crossing the plate. The Thunderbirds finally broke through in the sixth. After a one-out walk and consecutive singles brought home the first run, a sacrifice fly by Kennedy Laird and a two-out, two-run home run from Clare VanSpall extended the lead to 4-0. UBC added another run in the seventh and held Eastern to just one hit over the final two innings to secure the shutout.
Camille Schmitz (11-1) suffered her first loss of the season, while Carleen Murray (14-8) earned the win with six strikeouts.
Game 2
Eastern Oregon responded quickly in game two, jumping ahead after a clean defensive start in the top of the first.
Raygun Klippert sparked the offense with a walk and stolen base, then came around to score on back-to-back singles from
Isabella Lauerman and
Hope Burke.
Rain began to fall in the second inning, affecting conditions as
Maliyah Mann issued three walks. Play was eventually halted for a 90-minute delay. When action resumed, British Columbia took advantage, scoring three runs on a single and a passed ball. Additional walks forced in another run before
Hannah Ebner returned for the second time of the day to record three straight outs and limit further damage.
Trailing 4-1, Eastern mounted a strong response in the bottom half. A single from Monaghan and two walks loaded the bases, and although two fielder's choice groundouts initially stalled the rally,
Hope Burke delivered a clutch two-out single to bring in a run. Klippert's aggressive baserunning helped trim the deficit to 4-3, and
Brylin Field followed with a game-tying hit to center.
Emily Barry then gave the Mountaineers the lead with an RBI single to left.
UBC threatened again in the third, loading the bases with two outs, but Eastern held firm. The Mountaineers added an insurance run in the inning on an RBI single from Klippert.
The Thunderbirds answered in the fourth, using walks and a defensive miscue to plate two runs and even the score at 6-6. Eastern, however, responded decisively in the fifth. The Mountaineers broke the game open with five runs, capitalizing on limited opportunities.
Elizabeth Heinz, Klippert, and Lauerman each drove in runs, and Burke capped the inning with a two-run home run.
Dimitrov returned to the circle and shut down UBC over the final 3.2 innings to seal the 11-6 victory. She earned the win (5-2) with 3.2 innings of relief, while Mila Anderson (0-1) took the loss for the Thunderbirds.
Up Next
Eastern Oregon improved to 13-4 in conference play, remaining in second place. British Columbia dropped to 10-7 and is now tied with Southern Oregon for third. The series finale is set for Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m.
