Concordia and Eastern Oregon settled for a split at Delta Park on Friday.
Eastern Oregon Softball Splits With Cavaliers
PORTLAND, Ore. – After nearly being shutout in the opener, Eastern Oregon posted runs in four innings to avoid a sweep in Cascade Collegiate Conference softball action at Delta Park on Friday. Concordia took the first game 4-1 before falling 7-2 to the Mountaineers in the nightcap.
With the results, Concordia moved to 13-10 on the year with an 8-5 league mark while EOU finished the day 11-17 overall and 6-8 in the CCC.
After four scoreless innings, the Cavaliers scraped together a single run in the fifth via an RBI single by Shayne Ostlund (Graham, Wash./Auburn Riverside H.S.) to send Rebekah Wirkkala (Vancouver, Wash/Evergreen H.S.) home from third. Wirkkala reached by way of an error at first and moved around the bases with the aid of a passed ball and a single by Tina Garcia (Concord, Calif./Concord H.S.).
With CU starter Danielle Pulfrey (Hillsboro, Ore./Hillsboro H.S.) limiting the Mountaineers to a solo run, the Cavalier offense provided a bit more breathing room with three runs in the sixth. Taking advantage of three walks and a hit-by-pitch, Samantha Daline (Portland, Ore./Grant H.S.) provided the pop with a single to left field to send two runners home.
Pinch hitter, Teri Cisler (New Plymouth, Idaho/New Plymouth H.S.) generated EOU’s only run in the seventh with a solo homer.
Pulfrey pitched the compete game for the Cavs, recording six strikeouts while yielding seven hits and two walks. Melodee Mildenberger (Hamilton, Mont.) took the loss in relief for EOU.
In the second game, the Mountaineers broke through with three runs in the second, two credited after a Michelle St. John (Billings, Mont.) double, to take the early lead.
Ostlund drove in a single run in the home half of the inning to cut the deficit to 3-1, but EOU would quickly recover with a run in the third after a Lydia Holm (Salem, Ore.) blast over the outfield fence.
Not stopping there, the Mountaineers scored a pair of runs in the fourth before Holm connected on her second homer of the day, a solo shot in the sixth, to give EOU a 6-1 advantage.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Cavs loaded the bases with one out, but could only manage a single run as EOU pitcher Kelly West (Lewiston, Ida) escaped the inning with the help Cisler, the starting pitcher of the contest before being relieved by West two batters earlier, who gunned down Cavalier catcher Nicole Illias (Beaverton, Ore./Valley Catholic) at home.
Giving up just two runs on eight hits, Cisler earned the win after 5 1/3 innings of work.
Concordia returns to action on Saturday when it hosts The College of Idaho at 11 a.m. at Delta Park. EOU travels to Salem, Ore. to face Corban College for a conference doubleheader.