CHANDLER, Ariz. – Puakea Milbourne was 5-for-9 with three doubles, a triple and five RBI, helping Oregon Tech to 5-1 and 10-8 victories over Benedictine Mesa at Chandler-Gilbert CC.
 
The Lady Owls (4-0) had timely hitting and quality pitching in the opener, while pounding out 16 hits in the Game 2 slugfest.
 
For the second-straight day, the tandem of Jenna Gorden and Alli Parker handcuffed the opponent, as the duo limited the Redhawks (1-3) to five hits and an unearned run.
 
Tech trailed 1-0 after Alexandra Lopez tripled in the second inning and scored on a throwing error, but Milbourne got the Owls even in the third, lining a 2-out RBI double.
 
An inning later, the No. 10-ranked team in the NAIA took the lead, as Nita Cook delivered a go-ahead RBI single and Malia Mick drove in another with a fielders' choice. The Owls capped the scoring in the sixth on a Milbourne 2-run single.
 
Gorden went four innings for the victory, with Parker fanning three for her second save. Both Cook and Milbourne had two hits in the win.
 
In the nightcap, OIT built a 6-0 lead and held off a late BenU rally. Milbourne scored the first run in the second after lining a triple and scoring on a Sawyer Stenson groundout, while an inning later, Gina Allen lined an RBI single – with a second run scoring on the play on an error, followed by an Addison Kachnik RBI single.
 
The Redhawks battled back, getting two runs in the fourth and fifth, adding a 4-run sixth to get within 9-8 – but Owls starter, Kristine Schmidt, returned to the circle in relief, getting a ground out to strand the tying runner in scoring position. Milbourne gave Tech an insurance run in the seventh with an RBI double and Schmidt closed out the victory with a 1-2-3 inning.
 
Allen was 4-for-5 with three runs scored, with Milbourne, Cook, Kachnik, Stenson and Brooklyn Loose all recording two hits. Schmidt threw six innings, allowing four runs on four hits, striking out four.
 
OIT has Thursday off before meeting Arizona Christian in a Friday doubleheader.