KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – On Day One of the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship Tournament, No. 2-seeded and No. 6-ranked Eastern Oregon fell 4–1 to No. 3-seeded, No. 6-ranked Southern Oregon.
Both teams came out strong defensively.
Natalie Dimitrov set the tone early, opening the game with two groundouts and a strikeout. Eastern threatened in the bottom of the first with a runner on, but Southern Oregon turned a key double play to halt the momentum.
Southern Oregon struck first in the second inning. Ari Williams led off with a double to left-center and advanced to third on a wild pitch. A groundout brought her home, giving the Raiders a 1–0 lead.
Pitching and defense dominated the middle innings. Ayla Davies and Dimitrov were both sharp in the circle, keeping the score unchanged through five innings. Davies allowed just one hit through four innings, while Dimitrov gave up one hit over three. Both defenses were flawless, committing no errors.
The Raiders broke the game open in the sixth. With two runners on and no outs, Eastern attempted a double play but couldn't complete it, leaving the bases loaded. Brooke Nordahl followed with a two-run single through the right side. After a strikeout,
Emily Barry made a heads-up play at home to get the lead runner, but an errant throw during an attempt for a second out allowed another run to score before the runner was thrown out at third. Southern Oregon extended its lead to 4–0.
Eastern responded in the bottom half of the inning.
Elizabeth Heinz doubled down the left field line and advanced on a wild pitch before
Raygun Klippert drove her in with a single, putting the Mountaineers on the board. However, Southern Oregon quickly shut down the rally with a groundout and a flyout.
Camille Schmitz entered in relief in the seventh, striking out the first batter she faced before allowing a single. The runner was later called out for leaving early on a bunt attempt, and Schmitz worked out of the inning without allowing a run.
Eastern made one final push in the bottom of the seventh.
Hope Burke drew a leadoff walk, followed by a single from Barry and another walk by
Kelly Monaghan to load the bases with one out. Despite the opportunity, the Mountaineers were unable to capitalize, and Southern Oregon secured the 4–1 victory.
With the loss, Eastern Oregon moves into the elimination bracket and will face British Columbia at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow, May 2.
Earlier this season, Eastern edged UBC by taking two of three in their CCC series, along with an additional non-conference victory, but the Thunderbirds remain a tough opponent. The T-Birds are anchored by dominant pitcher Carlee Murray, who leads the conference with a 1.26 ERA and 183 strikeouts while ranking among the top three in both wins (17) and saves (3). UBC pairs that elite pitching with one of the conference's best defenses, posting a .971 fielding percentage with just 20 errors in CCC play. As a staff, UBC boast the second-best ERA in the conference at 1.95 and have surrendered only five home runs all season. Offensively, UBC has been solid if not explosive, ranking fifth in hits, RBIs, batting average, and on-base percentage, but they show strong plate discipline with the third-most walks and the second-fewest strikeouts in the CCC.
A win over UBC would advance EOU to a 4:30 p.m. matchup against the winner of No. 6-seed Simpson and No. 5-seed College of Idaho. To reach the championship, Eastern must win twice on Saturday and twice on Sunday, and would then need an additional victory in the title round to claim the tournament championship.
