Box Score

SALEM, Ore. – No. 5 Eastern Oregon University softball had to dig deep Friday afternoon, grinding out an extra-inning 4–2 victory over Corban University before falling in a slim 4-3 game two to open its final road series of the regular season. 

Game 1
The Mountaineers showed early patience at the plate, with Raygun Klippert drawing a leadoff walk in the first and advancing to third, but were unable to capitalize. Both teams traded quiet innings early, with Eastern threatening in the second before being turned away by solid Corban defense.

Eastern broke through in the third inning. Isabella Lauerman and Hope Burke set the table with back-to-back singles, and Emily Barry delivered a sacrifice fly to give the Mounties a 1–0 lead. The Warriors answered immediately, stringing together a rally capped by a two-run single from Peyton Foreman to take a 2–1 advantage.

The Mountaineers responded again in the fifth. Klippert sparked the inning with a triple off the center field fence, and Lauerman followed with an infield single to tie the game at 2–2. Despite additional hits from Barry and Grumbois, Eastern couldn't push across another run, keeping the contest deadlocked.

Pitching and defense took center stage late. Eastern's defense came up with a critical play in the sixth, as Barry made a heads-up stop and throw home, where Baumgart applied the tag to prevent a go-ahead run on a suicide squeeze attempt. Both teams remained scoreless through the seventh, sending the game into extras.

In the eighth, Eastern finally broke through. After Grumbois reached and advanced to third, Allison Baumgart ripped a double down the right field line to give the Mounties a 3–2 lead. Maliyah Mann added insurance with a clutch pinch-hit single, extending the lead to 4–2.

From there, Dimitrov shut the door. She threw all eight innings, allowing just one walk while striking out four and retiring the side in order in the bottom of the eighth to secure the win. Kate Banks recorded the loss for the Warriors, throwing 7.2 innings, while striking out three. 

Game 2
The Mountaineers wasted no time setting the tone in the first. Klippert sparked the offense with a double down the left field line and quickly moved into scoring position with a stolen base. Burke followed with a clutch double to right, driving in the game's first run. After advancing to third on a wild pitch and with Grumbois drawing a walk, Eastern threatened for more, but the Warriors limited the damage with a strikeout. Corban answered with a baserunner in the bottom half, but a double play erased the opportunity.

Eastern extended its lead in the second with two outs. Elizabeth Heinz worked a walk, Klippert singled, and both runners advanced via stolen bases. Lauerman then reached on a Corban error, allowing two runs to score and pushing the Mountaineers ahead 3-0. In the circle, Maliyah Mann dominated the inning, retiring the side on just eight pitches.

The Mountaineers had a chance to add on in the third after Brylin Field singled and Kelly Monaghan was hit by a pitch, but both were left stranded. Corban responded with a two-out rally in the bottom half, stringing together a walk, hit-by-pitch, and single to plate their first run. Another hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded brought in a second, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Hannah Ebner entered in relief and delivered a key out to stop the rally and preserve the lead.

In the fourth, Klippert reached on a walk but was caught leaving early on a steal attempt. Lauerman and Burke followed with singles to put two runners in scoring position, yet Eastern couldn't capitalize. Ebner kept the momentum on the Mountaineers' side defensively, shutting down the Warriors with three quick outs to maintain the slim advantage.

The Mountaineers were unable to generate offense in the top of the fifth despite a leadoff single from Grumbois. A quick double play followed by a strikeout erased any chance of a rally and kept Eastern off the board. Corban capitalized in the bottom half, as Isabel Carattini sparked the comeback with a single and stolen base. Mckenna Hanson then delivered a key double to drive in the tying run. Following a pitching change, the Warriors executed a suicide squeeze to perfection, bringing home another run to take their first lead of the game at 4-3. A groundout ended the inning, but the damage was done.

In the sixth, Eastern looked to answer as Elizabeth Heinz drew a four-pitch walk and Klippert added a single to put two runners aboard. However, the Mounties couldn't find the timely hit, leaving both stranded. Corban threatened briefly in the bottom half with a single, but a baserunning mistake resulted in a pinch runner being called out for leaving early, giving Eastern a key out. A popup soon followed to end the inning and keep the deficit at just one run heading into the seventh.

In the final inning, Lexi Grumbois sparked hope with a single to left, but a game-ending double play off the bat of Brylin Field sealed the Mountaineers' fate. Despite building an early three-run lead, Eastern Oregon was unable to hold off Corban's late push, falling just short in a tightly contested 4-3 battle.

Up Next
Eastern Oregon and Corban will continue the series tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 11:00 a.m.