KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Nine months after losing to Southern Oregon in the NAIA Softball World Series title game, Kaila Mick had an answer for the defending national champions. The Oregon Tech grad student finished 6-for-7 on the day, becoming the first Lady Owl to hit for the cycle in recent history, leading her club to 4-2 and 6-5 victories over the Raiders at Stilwell Stadium.
 
The No. 6-ranked Lady Owls (14-6, 6-2 CCC) extended their win streak to six games – their fifth and sixth-straight regular-season wins against their rivals.
 
"I was seeing the ball well," Mick said. "I was just trying to get base hits and not trying to do too much."
 
The No. 8-ranked Raiders (17-6, 6-2) had the lead in both games, but saw their 8-game win streak snapped in the opener.
 
SOU plated a first inning unearned run in Game 1, but OIT answered in the third, as Lexi Klum hit her seventh home run of the year – a 2-run shot – to give the hosts a lead. The edge was short-lived, as Hannah Clavelle answered with a solo blast to center in the fourth, evening the score at 2-2.
 
Tech grabbed the lead for good in the bottom of the inning – as Zoe Allen doubled and scored on a Mick double – with Mick scurrying around on an SOU throwing error.
 
Kacie Schmidt did the rest, retiring the final 11 batters in a row to earn the victory – limiting the Raiders to five hits and striking out six. Both Allen and Mick had two hits for OIT, with Piper Love going 2-for-3 with SOU.
 
Game 2 was a back-and-forth affair – as the Raiders took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Hailey Seva sacrifice fly – but Mick started her record-breaking game with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning.
 
OIT extended the lead to 4-1 in the third, as Mick singled and scored on an error, with Klum adding a RBI single.
 
The Raiders battled back – as Seva hit a 2-run homer, part of a 4-run fourth – giving SOU a 5-4 lead.
 
Not to be outdone, Mick doubled in the fifth and scored the tying run on a 2-out Jayce Seavert triple.
 
Tied 5-5 in the seventh, Mick finished the cycle with a leadoff triple, scoring the winning run on a walk-off sacrifice fly from Klum.
 
Schmidt earned the win in relief, tossing two shutout innings, with Nita Cook going 3-for-4 and both Seavert and Puakea Milbourne logging two hits.
 
The two rivals close out the series tomorrow with an 11 a.m. doubleheader.