Owls Gain Conference Sweep Over NCU
Klamath Falls, Ore. – The Oregon Tech softball team swept a conference doubleheader from Northwest Christian University, moving to 3-3 in league play with a 2-1 win in game #1 and a 5-4 extra inning win in the nightcap. Becca Anderson improved to 8-3 in the circle, picking up wins in both games today. Amber Knight tallied the first save of her collegiate career coming in for relief of Anderson in game one.
It took five innings, but the Owls finally opened the scoring on an Andria Wheatley double that scored both Kayde Schaefer and Chelsea McNeil.
NCU would put together a rally in the top of the sixth, as an Amber Kraaz double would score Jonni Byrne, who earlier reached on a fielder’s choice. Tech pitcher Amber Knight would then get a ground out and fly out to end the inning. A two out double gave the Beacons a chance to tie in the seventh, but Knight would again get a ground out, this time ending the game, as the Owls took game one 2-1.
Tech’s Kayde Schaefer finished 2-2 at the plate in the first game, while Wheatley drove in Tech’s only runs on her fifth inning double.
NCU connected for 11 hits in the first game, but was only able to push one run across. Brooke Davis, Corrie Gustafson and Amber Kraaz finished with two hits in game one for the Beacons, with Kraaz driving in NCU’s lone run.
NCU jumped up early on the Owls in the nightcap, as a Kraaz double scored two for NCU. Cassie Bishop then followed with an RBI single scoring Kraaz to make it 3-0 Beacons.
A Jenny Austin RBI single in the bottom half of the second then cut the Owl deficit to 3-1. In the third inning, it was Tech’s Katie King connecting for a RBI single scoring Andria Wheatley, who earlier singled, to cut the NCU lead to 3-2. Oregon Tech would finally take the lead on an Ashleigh Larson two-run blast in the fourth inning to go up 4-3.
In the sixth, NCU’s Sarah Leonard reached on a Tech error and would later score on a Jonni Byrne RBI single that tied the game and sent it into extra innings, as the Owls would fail to score in the bottom half of the sixth or seventh innings.
NCU would get a runner in scoring position in the eighth, but Tech would get out of the inning unscathed.
A lead off double by Tech’s Brittany Warren in the bottom half of the eighth would prove to be the game winner, as Bess Fagan followed with an RBI single that ended the game 5-4.
Megan Mazanec finished 3-4, followed by two hits each from Bishop and Brittany Robles. Kraaz drove in two NCU runs with both Byrne and Bishop knocking in one run each.
Tech catcher Katie King finished 3-4 at the plate and drove in one run. Starting pitcher, Bess Fagan, had two hits and a RBI. Larson drove in two runs on her first collegiate career homerun in the fourth inning, while shortstop Jenny Austin was 1-1 and drove in a run.
Oregon Tech (13-10) will next host league leading Southern Oregon University on Tuesday, April 7th with the doubleheader set to begin at 2:00 pm.