LA GRANDE, Ore. – After taking home a dramatic, walkoff victory in the first contest of the series followed by a snowed out second game, competition resumed on Sunday afternoon in La Grande. Both teams battled snow flurries throughout the day as the Mounties carried their momentum from day one right into the resumed second game on Sunday running away with a mercy rule 10-0 victory over the No. 1 Owls. Oregon Tech answered in the third and final game with a come-from-behind 3-1 victory thanks to two seventh-inning homers.
Eastern Oregon advances to 9-3 overall, and 2-1 in CCC play following the split. They will hit the road to take on Corban University for their next series with the first game scheduled for 1 p.m. on Friday, March 8. No. 1 Oregon Tech moves to 9-6 on the year and 1-2 in conference play. The Owls will host the University of Providence this coming Friday in Klamath Falls.
GAME 1
It was all Eastern in game one as the Mounties jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning highlighted by a 2-RBI double off the bat of Madelyn Durham. Haley Tyree made it a clean lead of 5 in the second inning with a solo shot to dead center. EOU shut the door with a big fourth inning as they doubled their lead thanks to a couple of big doubles off the bat of Madelyn Durham and Karly Hanosky to make it 10-0. The offensive explosion combined with a dominant 2-hit performance in the circle by Kylie Parsons solidified the mercy rule victory over the top team in the nation.
Key Performers
EOU
- Madelyn Durham: 2/3, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 1 R
- Hannah Tyree: 2/2, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB
- Kylie Parsons: 5 IP, 2 H, 5 K,
OIT
- Lexi Klum: 1/2
- Puakea Milbourne: 1/2
GAME 2
Oregon Tech refused to be swept on the weekend pulling off a heroic, late-inning win against the Mounties in the third and final game of the series. Game three looked similar to the first game of the series as EOU’s Kaylie Hoskins and OIT’s Kacie Schmidt dueled it out in the circle. Both aces were lights out through the first four innings as only one hit was allowed between the two. EOU broke up the shutout in the fifth thanks to a Haley Tyree triple down the right field line to give the Mounties a 1-0 lead. With their backs against the wall, Oregon Tech answered in a big way in the top of the seventh. Kaila Mick stepped up to the plate and tied it up with a leadoff homer to right center. Lexi Klum followed that up with a single and was given a free trot around the bases courtesy of Puakea Milbourne who took Kaylie Hoskins deep to center field ending the All-American’s day in the circle. Eastern was able to stop the bleeding but couldn’t answer in the bottom half as OIT earned their only victory on the weekend, 3-1.
Key Performers
EOU
Haley Tyree: 1/4, 1 3B, 1 RBI
Kaylie Hoskins: 6 IP, 3 ER, 5 K, 4 HOIT
Kaila Mick: 1/2, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB
Puakea Milbourne: 1/3, 2 RBI, 1 R
Kacie Schmidt: 7 IP, 1 ER, 5 K, 5 H