pictured with fellow seniors, L-R Kenzie Shrum, Tre Sullivan, Ann-Marie Guischer, Alyssa Davis
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – On Senior Day, senior Trey Sullivan smacked a grand slam home run to lift Oregon Tech past Northwest Christian 9-1 in game 2 in a mercy rule 5-inning game. The Owls salvaged a split after NCU won game 1, 6-4. Oregon Tech moves to 18-6 in Cascade Conference play and 25-16 on the year; Northwest Christian moves to 14-30 on the year and 8-16 in CCC play.
Game 1 Northwest Christian 6 Oregon Tech 4
Oregon Tech out-hit Northwest Christian 12-5 but it was the Beacons who took advantage of 4-walks, a hit batter and an OIT error to score 6-runs on 1-hit in the 5
th inning as they held on to upset No. 24 Oregon Tech 6-4 in game 1.
NCU broke open a scoreless game with the 6-runs in the top of the fifth.
Tech rallied with 2-runs in the bottom of the frame on 4-hits highlighted by a Tara Moates’ double to make it a 6-2 game.
The Owls added a run in the 6
th on an Alyssa Davis triple to make it 6-3.
Moates hit a 1-out single to start a potential rally in the bottom of the 7
th. Ali Graham popped out to leave OIT down to its final out. Sullivan singled to give Tech runners at first and second. Cassidy Hoglund followed with a single into left to load the bases. Sadie Birch drew a walk to score a run and make it a 6-4 game. Davis then grounded out to short to end the game.
Katie Walker picked up the win for NCU to improve to 4-8.
Tech’s Ann-Marie Guischer had 5 strike-outs with 5-walks as she picked up the loss.
Graham led the Owls with 3-hits with Moates, Davis, and Sydni Scott each had 2-hits for the Owls.
Parker Fricker had 2-hit for NCU.
Game 2 Oregon Tech 9 Northwest Christian 1
Freshman Ali Graham allowed only 4-hits in the circle with Tre Sullivan hitting a bases loaded homer to lift the Owls to the 9-1 win.
Tech jumped on top of the Beacons early with 2-runs in the 1
st highlighted by a Graham RBI double.
NCU made 2-1 in the 2
nd with 1-run on 2-hits and 2-walks.
OIT made it 4-1 in the bottom of the 2
nd on a Katie Virtue 2-run single up the middle.
The Owls busted the game wide-open in the 4
th, loading the bases with 2-outs when Sullivan blasted a 2-2 fastball over the centerfield fence to give Tech a 8-1 lead.
The Beacons went down in the top of the 5
th.
Lynzee Wartman led of the 5
th with an infield single. She moved to 2
nd on a Davis single then moved to 3
rd when Jacey Conklin walked. Wartman scored the mercy-rule run on a grounder by Virtue that was bobbled by the NCU shortstop as Tech won 9-1.
Virtue led OIT with 3-hits with Sullivan adding 2-hits including her 3
rd homer of the season.
Oregon Tech will wrap-up the CCC regular season next weekend with a doubleheaders at Northwest University in Kirkland on Friday and University of British Columbia in Vancouver B.C. on Saturday. OIT and SOU are tied atop the CCC-West Division standings with SOU holding the tiebreaker heading into next weekend’s games. SOU will play at UBC Friday and Northwest on Saturday.