REDDING, Calif. – Quality starting pitching from Carli Moore and Kristine Schmidt helped Oregon Tech sweep the Friday games at the Simpson Crossover at Redding Sports Park.
Moore led the Lady Owls (10-2) to a 2-0 victory over Arizona Christian in the opener, while Schmidt powered Tech to a 3-2 win over Westcliff.
Against ACU (5-5), Tech was locked in a pitchers' duel between Moore and Alyssa Grinstead, as both pitchers took shutouts into the sixth. The Owls broke through in their half, loading the bases with one out on singles from Puakea Milbourne and Addison Kachnik and a hit-by-pitch to Sawyer Stenson. A wild pitch brought Milbourne in with the go-ahead run, with Kachnik scoring on a Brooklyn Loose ground out.
Moore did the rest, working out of a seventh inning jam for her first career shutout, limiting the Firestorm to five hits and striking out six. Kachnik was the only OIT player with a 2-hit game.
OIT didn't wait long in Game 2, scoring all three of their runs in the first – as Gina Allen led off the game with a home run and later in the frame, Stenson and Loose each added RBI singles.
Schmidt kept the Warriors (6-6) at bay, holding the squad to single runs in the third and fifth, striking out six, for her fifth win. Nita Cook was 3-for-3 for the Owls, with Milbourne adding two hits, part of a 10-hit attack.
Tech closes tournament play tomorrow with games vs. ACU and Park Gilbert.