KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Kristine Schmidt tossed a 1-hit shutout in the opener and Brooklyn Loose hit a ninth inning tiebreaking home run in the nightcap, as Oregon Tech took over sole possession of first place in the Cascade Conference standings with 4-0 and 2-1 wins over British Columbia at Stilwell Stadium.
 
Playing as the visiting team throughout the weekend as the series was shifted from Vancouver to the Basin due to weather, the No. 2-ranked Lady Owls (25-3, 10-1 CCC) rode the right arm of Schmidt, while capitalizing on two crucial UBC errors, to claim the two victories.
 
Schmidt was nearly unhittable, limiting the T-Birds (14-10, 5-3) to three total hits over 11 innings on the day, earning victories in both games. The junior had a career-high 11 strikeouts in the Game 1 win, while working out of a second-and-third, one out jam in the sixth in Game 2 and coaxing a double-play ball to end the contest.
 
UBC ace, Carleen Murray, was equally tough, but a big error allowed the Owls to get on the scoreboard in the opener. After stranding the bases loaded in the third, Tech got a Malia Mick single and the senior was at second with two outs. Gina Allen hit a hard ground ball to second that was misplayed by Tegan Harnett – allowing Mick to score the go-ahead run. Nita Cook followed with a single to score Allen for a 2-0 lead.
 
OIT doubled the lead in the sixth, as Mick singled and scored on a Hayden Rockwell RBI double, with Allen capping the scoring with a run-scoring single.
 
Cook was 3-for-4 in the win, with Mick, Allen and Sawyer Stenson all recording two hits.
 
Game 2 was equally as tight, as the T-Birds pieced together a second inning rally – getting four singles, including a 2-out Brielle Donaghue single that gave UBC a 1-0 lead.
 
Starter Brynn Fortier took a shutout into the sixth inning – when defense again hurt the visitors. Cook legged out an infield single and moved to second on a bunt. With one out, Addison Kachnik lifted a routine fly ball to right in foul territory that was dropped by Claire VanSpall. Given the reprieve, Kachnik lined the next pitch into center to plate Cook with the tying run.
 
After UBC squandered a chance in their sixth and the Owls left the bases loaded in the seventh, Loose came through in a big way in the ninth, taking a Murray pitch the opposite way, depositing the ball just over the left field wall for the 2-1 lead. Schmidt worked around a 1-out walk to close out the victory.
 
Both Cook and Kachnik were 2-for-4 in the win for the Owls. Starter Alli Parker allowed a run on five hits, striking out four, in a no-decision.
 
Jessica Heutink had two hits for UBC.
 
The two teams close out the series tomorrow with an 11 a.m. doubleheader.