HERMISTON, Ore. – Senior designated player Lauren Burchak broke EOU’s single-game RBI record, and the Mountaineer softball team mustered a victory in game two to earn the twinbill split with No. 19 Oregon Tech on Sunday afternoon.
Thanks to a pair of game-changing home runs, Burchak posted a school-record seven RBI in game two, as she led the Blue and Gold to its first win over the Owls since 2014.
GAME TWO – EOU 11, OIT 8
EOU saw both Burchak and senior first baseman Cheyenne Barker hit homers, and the duo combined for six hits in an 11-8 victory in game two.
With the contest tied at six apiece in the fourth, Burchak sent a three-run bomb over the fence to put the Blue and Gold up three (9-6), and then Barker followed in the next inning with a homer to extend the advantage to five (11-6).
Attributing to the win, both senior left fielder Taylor Gerlach and junior second baseman Maryssa Santi registered two hits apiece.
In the circle, junior righty Hailey Kline compiled six strikeouts on the way to picking up her third win of the season.
EOU (4-5, 1-1 CCC) got on the board in the bottom of the first with a four-run flurry to snag the momentum. Barker drove home T. Gerlach with an RBI single, and the Mountaineers went on to swell the margin to two (3-1) thanks to a two-run homer by Burchak, her first of the day. To cap the frame, Santi belted a one-out RBI single to bring home Barker.
Oregon Tech (8-3, 1-1 CCC) evened the game at six apiece in the fourth and had a chance to take the lead with two runners in scoring position, but Kline tossed one of her six Ks to halt the run.
After Burchak and Barker left their marks on the middle innings, EOU held Oregon Tech to two runs and three hits in the sixth and seventh innings to seal it.
GAME ONE – OIT 7, EOU 2
In game one, the Mountaineers couldn’t overcome a five-run third inning by the Owls, posting a 4-for-24 effort at the dish on the way to a 7-2 setback.
Barker’s sacrifice fly put the Blue and Gold up 1-0 in the first, but Oregon Tech fired back with six unanswered, including a solo homer by Tara Moates, to pull away.
In the top of the second, the Owls tied the affair at one apiece and had a chance to add to the damage with the bases juiced and only one out, but junior third baseman Chelsea Spanier made a diving catch and then tagged out Cassidy Hoglund to retire the side.
Trailing 6-1 late, both T. Gerlach and Spanier kicked off the sixth with singles, and Barker ultimately delivered another sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to four (6-2). However, EOU ultimately came up short, suffering a 7-2 loss in game one.
Both senior Haylie Van Laethem (two Ks in six innings) and senior Alexis Spence (one inning) saw action in the circle for the Blue and Gold.
UP NEXT
EOU caps its Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) opening series with a doubleheader against Oregon Tech tomorrow at 11 a.m.
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