EUGENE, Ore. – After being down to their final strike in game one, the Concordia University softball team pulled out a double-header sweep of Northwest Christian University on Tuesday, 4-2 and 3-1. With the wins, Concordia clinches the third and final playoff spot for the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament.
For NCU, Brooke Davis (3-6) took to the hill in game one and pitched a gem for 6.2 innings. Davis struck out a season-high eight batters and allowed just one earned run.
The Beacons got on the board quickly as Gabby Stover sent a two-out home run over the left field wall for the 1-0 lead. Concordia tied the game in the top half of the fourth on an RBI double by Jordyn Brown (pictured), scoring Kate Santos.
NCU once again took the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, when a Stover sacrifice fly to right field scored Amanda Reiss.
NCU took a 2-1 lead into the top of the seventh inning, but then things fell apart. Leadoff hitter Jennifer Lutton reached on an error to start the frame, but the Beacons quickly mowed down the next two batters, putting themselves one out away from the win. Then, Tobey Varney singled to put two on. The next batter was Mariah Jimenez. After building a 3-2 count, the next pitch just missed the outside corner and was called a ball to load the bases. Santos followed with another walk, as the tying run came in to score from third. Laura Luther jumped into the action, knocking a two-run single into the outfield to give Concordia their final 4-2 lead. Jenna Royce was then called in and she posted the final out of the inning.
The Beacons threatened in the bottom of the seventh when Chelsea Hannon and Ally Mittleider walked on, but a strikeout and a double-play would seal the loss.
Ashley Suter (11-7) went the distance for the Cavaliers, striking out five batters while allowing four hits. Luther and Brown collected two hits apiece in the win.
Game two proved to be another battle in the circle with starters Brown (7-6) and Royce (3-13) going toe-to-toe for their respective teams. Brown would finish the day with a complete-game, striking out four batters while allowing seven hits. Royce also went the distance and allowed seven hits.
Concordia got on the board early when Brown hit a first-inning sacrifice fly, scoring Sam Genskay. The flyball was the first of 9 straight outs for Royce, who quickly settled down. Then, in the fourth inning, Brown was at it again, crushing a home run to left-centerfield for a 2-0 lead. The Cavs then tacked on one more in the sixth, scoring on an NCU error.
The Beacons tried to mount a comeback in the bottom of the seventh, but were only able to post a single run. Senior Kalyssa Koontz led off with a pinch-hit walk in her first plate appearance of the season. She was lifted for a pinch runner, Allyssa Pogue who was also getting her first action on the year. An error at second base let Mittleider reach base and a wild pitch put runners on second and third with nobody out. Reiss came up and hit a sacrifice fly to score Pogue from third, but the next two batters would also be put out to end the game.
The Beacons scattered seven hits in the game, getting two from Dani Gerhke. Brown ended the game 2-for-2 with a run and two RBI to finish off a 5-for-6 day at the plate.
Concordia will be back in action on Friday, taking on Corban University in Salem. The Cavs have clinched at least third but could still move up to second if all the cards fall in the right places over the final weekend.
NCU closes our their season on Saturday, playing host to Southern Oregon University at 2:00 pm. This will be senior day for the Beacons, a chance to honor Megan Mazanec, Royce, Koontz, and Davis for four solid years.