GLENDALE, Ariz. – Facing their first Top-20 opponent of the season, Oregon Tech squandered a seventh inning lead in Game 1 and fell victim to a 5-run fifth inning in Game 2, as No. 19-ranked Hope International swept the Lady Owls at the ACU Softball Field.
The Royals (9-1) hit a 2-out, 2-run homer in their final at bat of the opener to force extra innings, claiming a walk-off, eight inning, 5-4 win, while holding off a late OIT rally to win the nightcap, 6-5.
"It was a couple tough losses today," said OIT head coach
Greg Stewart. "The ladies battled against some good pitching. The clutch hit in the seventh inning of Game 1 by Hope carried over with their momentum in Game 2."
Facing All-America pitcher, Allie Puente – the No. 1-ranked Lady Owls (4-2) erased a 1-0 HIU lead in the fourth, as
Zoe Allen doubled and scored on a
Lexi Klum single. Two innings later, Tech grabbed a 4-1 edge – as Allen delivered a go-ahead RBI single and
Puakea Milbourne 2-run double.
The Royals trailed 4-2 in the seventh – but with two outs and two strikes, Asia Chacon blasted a 2-run homer to left to send the game to extras. Tech had runners at second and third in the eighth with no outs – but Puente worked out of the jam. In the bottom of the inning, HIU loaded the bases with one out – and following a fielders' choice that recorded the second out of the inning at home, OIT committed a fielding error that allowed the winning run to score.
Allen was 2-for-4 in the loss for Tech, with Chacon going 3-for-4 for HIU.
OIT spotted Hope a 1-0 second inning lead in Game 2, but the Lady Owls claimed the lead in the bottom of the frame.
Addison Kachnik tied the score with a run-scoring double and
Marla Goodspeed plated her with a single.
HIU broke the game open in the fifth, batting around for five runs – with Alyssa Castaneda providing the big hit, a 2-run single.
Trailing 6-3 in the seventh, the Owls got an Allen RBI single and a
Kaila Mick sacrifice fly to pull within a run, but stranded the tying run at first base.
Nita Cook had two doubles in the loss and Kachnik posted two hits for OIT. Chacon capped her big day with a 3-for-4 effort.
The Owls close out their Arizona trip tomorrow, meeting Arizona Christian at 2 p.m. (PT)
