LA GRANDE, Ore. – Ka'ala Tam hit for the cycle on the day and Tyler Horner combined to go 7-for-10, leading Oregon Tech to a doubleheader sweep of Eastern Oregon at Optimist Field.
 
The Hustlin' Owls (27-14, 12-4 CCC) claimed 14-9 and 15-5 victories – lowering their Magic Number to one to clinch a spot in the 4-team Cascade Conference Tournament.
 
Tech combined for 30 hits on the day and stole 10 bases – pushing their season stolen base total to 115, establishing a new school record.
 
OIT used a 7-run third inning outburst to break a 1-1 tie in the opener, as Kyle Norton hit a go-ahead 2-run homer, Tam laced an RBI double and Dane Bradshaw capped the rally with a 3-run home run.
 
The Owls put the game away in the sixth, as Tam lined a 3-run homer to extend the lead to 12-3.
 
Isaac Hill tossed six strong innings, allowing one earned run and striking out three, to earn the win. Horner was 3-for-4 with a double, Tam finished 2-for-3 with five RBI and Patrick Barry was 2-for-4. Matthew Ortiz posted a fourth inning single to extend his hit streak to 21 games.
 
The Mountaineers (13-30, 4-16) had 17 hits in the loss, with Mario Landeros and Danny Burns each posting three hits, including a homer and three RBI.
 
EOU jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings of Game 2 – but the Owls would score in each of the final seven innings to break the game wide open.
 
Ty Blakely pulled OIT even in the fourth with a 2-run double, with a fifth inning RBI double by Keanu Mizuta and a sixth inning RBI double from Horner giving the visitors a 6-4 lead. Barry launched a 3-run homer in the seventh to extend the lead to 10-5, with Tech adding two runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth.
 
Cody Dubray struck out nine in his hometown to pick up the win, with Horner going 4-for-6 in the victory. Five other OIT players – Norton, Tam, Bradshaw, Barry and Blakely each had 2-hit games.
 
The Owls close out their 9-game road swing next weekend with a key 4-game series at Bushnell. OIT can clinch a postseason berth with a win in one of their final nine games or a Corban loss.