KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Kacie Schmidt struck out a career-high 13 batters in Game 1, while Nita Cook extended her hit streak to 19 games with a pair of two-hit games, as Oregon Tech swept a Cascade Conference doubleheader from Warner Pacific at Stilwell Stadium.
 
The Lady Owls (31-7, 17-3 CCC) moved into sole possession of second-place in the league standings with the 4-2 and 5-4 victories.
 
Battling a constant rain in the opener, the Knights (3-27, 2-18) took a quick 1-0 first inning lead, as Kili Makanani doubled home a run – but a great relay throw from Cook cut-down a second run at home plate.
 
After stranding runners in scoring position in the first two innings, Tech took the lead in the third. Cook singled, stole second and scored on a Kaila Mick double – her 300th career hit as a Lady Owl. Lexi Klum delivered Mick with a run-scoring single and Mckenzie Staub followed with an RBI single to make it 3-1.
 
An inning later, Cook tripled and following a walk to Mick – the duo executed a perfect double-steal to extend the lead.
 
Schmidt kept WP at length – holding the Knights to five hits over six innings. Alli Parker worked around an error in the seventh to earn the save.
 
Jayce Seavert was 2-for-2 and Cook was 2-for-3 with two runs scored for Tech, while Makanani was 2-for-3 and Jordyn Rosario finished 2-for-4 for the Knights.
 
Game 2 followed the script of the opener – as Rosario doubled and scored on a Maddie Gamble ground out to give WP a 1-0 first inning lead.
 
The Owls strung together four second inning hits – including RBI singles from Staub and Cook – taking a 2-1 lead. An inning later, Addison Kachnik lined a 2-run double into the right field corner to push the margin to 4-1.
 
The Knights would not go away – plating a pair of unearned runs in the fifth to get within 4-3. Tech would add a key insurance run in the sixth on a Zoe Allen RBI single – as WP cut the margin to 5-4 on a Nikki O'Reilly seventh inning RBI double. With runners at second-and-third and one out, Parker answered the call, striking out the final two batters to earn the save.
 
Staub went five-plus innings for her 12th win, allowing one earned run, with Parker fanning a career-high four in her 4-out save.
 
Cook, Allen, Kachnik and Malia Mick all had two hits for OIT, with Rosario going 3-for-4 for WP.
 
The weekend series closes out tomorrow with an 11 a.m. doubleheader.