LA GRANDE, Ore. – Eastern Oregon pulled even in the Cascade Conference softball race with a come-from-behind Game 1 win, but Oregon Tech salvaged the final game of the weekend series with an extra inning victory at Peggy Anderson Field.
The Mountaineers (37-12, 22-5 CCC) rallied from a 3-1 deficit to grab the opener, 7-3, before OIT plated four 2-out runs in the eighth to snag a 9-6 win in the non-conference finale.
"We battled early in Game 1 to take the lead, but we did not continue to put the pressure on them offensively after the third inning," said OIT head coach
Greg Stewart. "We gave them extra outs in back-to-back innings that resulted in big hits and Eastern plating six unanswered runs."
The Lady Owls (39-10, 22-5) led 3-1 in the third inning of the opener – getting a first inning
Maggie Buckholz sacrifice fly, a second inning home run from
Jayce Seavert, her 11th of the year, with Buckholz adding an RBI ground out in the third.
EOU took charge from there, tying the game in the third and used a 4-run fourth to win the contest. Hannah Tyree broke the stalemate with a sacrifice fly and RBI singles from Taylor Dow and Grace Gaither extended the margin.
Amanda Smith did the rest, limiting Tech to just four hits in earning the win – with
McKenna Armantrout and Seavert each going 2-for-3 for the Owls in the loss.
In the nightcap, OIT took a 3-0 lead in the second on the strength of an RBI single from
Lexi Klum and a 2-run single from
Kaila Mick.
Kennedy Jantzi pushed the lead to 4-1 in the third with a solo home run to left.
Eastern answered again, as a Gaither home run tied the score in the third and a bases loaded walk in the fourth gave the Mounties a 5-4 lead.
OIT forced extra innings as Seavert lined an RBI single in the fifth to tie the game and
Mckenzie Staub worked five strong innings of relief. The visitors struck with 2-outs in the eighth, as Armantrout lined an RBI single and Jantzi followed with a long 3-run homer to give the Owls an insurmountable lead.
Tech had 15 hits in the win, with Armantrout, Buckholz and Jantzi each logging three hits.
The Owls return home next weekend, closing out the home regular-season with a 4-game series against Bushnell.
