Oregon Tech's Jess Plummer hit an eighth inning walk-off homerun to lift the Owls to a 6-5 win over Corban. (photo by Kelly Caleb)
No. 5 Oregon Tech Earns Split in CCC Opener
MEDFORD, Ore. - Opening up Cascade Conference play in Medford, due to poor field conditions in Klamath Falls, No. 5 Oregon Tech and No. 16 Corban University faced off and split a pair of CCC contests with Corban taking the opener 2-1, while the Owls bounced back to win the nightcap in extra innings 6-5.
Oregon Tech junior pitcher Taylor Schmidt struck out 10 Warriors and allowed just four hits, taking the loss in game 1, but would win game two pitching the final two innings in relief. Schmidt, allowed just one hit and struck out four more in game 2, and is now 9-2 in the circle for Tech.
Oregon Tech recorded just three hits in the opener, as Shauna Collins finished 2-for-3, while Sara Coated added a single and drove in Tech’s only run of the game in the fourth inning.
CU’s Amy Greenough moved to 7-2 in the circle after striking out six and allowing just three Tech hits and no earned runs in the win.
Corban’s Stephanie Nippert finished with two hits in the opener, including a RBI single in the first inning, while Erica Fitzgerald connected for her fifth homerun of the season, which proved to be the game winner, in the seventh inning. Rachel Conard singled in the fifth inning, as the Warriors tallied four hits in the opening game.
Corban moved out to a 2-0 lead in game 2, as Emma Winckler pushed the game’s first run across with a RBI single in the first inning. The Warrior tacked on another run in the fourth inning thanks to an Owl throwing error.
Lounette Jackson made it 4-0 Warriors after her two-run fifth inning blast to right field.
Oregon Tech would rally to score three runs in the bottom half of the fifth, as the Owls loaded the bases with no outs.
Kayde Schaefer took first after being hit by a pitch, with Amber Knight and Danielle Sayres following with back-to-back singles. Collins hit a sacrifice fly to left field to plate Schaefer, while Ashley Sfetku, running for Knight, was picked off second after slipping while trying to retreat to second base on the play. Ashleigh Larson then made it 4-3 after a two-run homerun to right field got the Owls within striking distance.
Corban moved up 5-3 when Brittany Chestnut hit a sacrifice fly to score Chynna Sandhop, but the Owls would get out of the sixth inning giving up just the single run.
With one out Taylor Schmidt singled for Tech, while Sara Coates connected for a two-run shot to tie the game heading into the last inning.
Neither team would score in the seventh inning with the game heading into an extra frame.
Corban went down 1-2-3 in the eighth inning, while it took just one batter, Jess Plummer, for Tech to earn the 6-5 win. Plummer drove the second pitch she saw into deep left to lift the Owls to the win and a split on the afternoon.
Coates finished game 2 with a pair of hits, including a homerun and two RBI. Larson recorded two RBI, while Collins and Plummer drove in a run each in the nightcap.
Lounette Jackson drove in two runs, while Emma Winckler and Brittany Chestnut added a RBI each. Conard doubled in game 2, while Abbie Pynch and Nippert added singles in the Warrior loss.
Oregon Tech will travel to Eugene to face Northwest Christian in a doubleheader on Monday beginning at 2 p.m. and then visit Southern Oregon for a pair of games in Ashland on Tuesday.