REDDING, Calif. – Oregon Tech opened the 2025 softball season with a doubleheader sweep of Simpson University, claiming the opener in five innings, 12-4, before claiming a Game 2, 4-3, victory in eight innings.
Addison Kachnik went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and three RBI in the opener, as
Kacie Schmidt tossed four shutout innings for the win. The nightcap was decided in extra innings, as
Puakea Milbourne doubled home a run in the eighth and
Alli Parker worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning for the victory.
GAME 1 – OIT 12, Simpson 4: The Lady Owls (2-0) scored three runs in each of the first four innings to roll to the run-rule victory.
Schmidt was dominant in the circle, allowing just one hit and striking out five – with the Lady Owls offense providing plenty of firepower.
Tech opened the scoring in the opening frame, as
Nita Cook scored on a designed double steal with Milbourne, with Kachnik knocking home Milbourne with a triple into the right field corner – eventually scoring on an error throw to the pitchers' circle.
An inning later, OIT loaded the bases with 1-out, with the Owls forcing home a run on a Milbourne hit-by-pitch, followed by a 2-run Kachnik single.
Hayden Rockwell got into the act in the third, delivering an RBI single, with Tech plating runs on sacrifice flies from Cook and Milbourne.
Malia Mick made it 10-0 in the fourth, driving in a run on a fielding error by the Redhawks (2-4), with
Zoe Allen adding a 2-run double.
SU broke up the shutout in the fifth, scoring four 2-out unearned runs – but were unable to extend the game.
Zoe Allen and
Gina Allen each finished 2-for-3 for the Lady Owls, with Rockwell going 2-for-2 – part of a 12-hit attack.
GAME 2 – OIT 4, Simpson 3: Parker was the story for OIT, tossing five and two-thirds innings of shutout relief for the victory, stranding the tying run at second base in the eighth.
Jayce Seavert got Tech on the board in the first with a 2-out RBI single, but the Redhawks answered in the bottom of the innings, as Nicolena Holen doubled and scored on a Kassandra Soria ground out.
The Owls regained the lead in the second, as
Marla Goodspeed doubled and scored on a Mick double – with Mick scoring during a rundown to end the inning. SU evened the score in the third on back-to-back RBI singles from Maydson Welch and Jessica Heck, but Parker was summoned from the pen, getting a ground out and a fly out to end the threat.
The score would stay 3-3 until the eighth – with the teams utilizing the international tiebreaker (runner starting on second). Milbourne provided the go ahead run with a double, while Parker got two fly outs and a strikeout to complete the win.
Milbourne was 2-for-4 – the only OIT player with a multi-hit game, with Parker allowing just two hits and fanning five in the victory.
Welch was 3-for-4 for SU, with starter Jacquelyn Lujan going the distance, allowing six hits and striking out two.
OIT heads to the Portland metro next weekend for games at Pacific and Lewis & Clark.
