Oregon Tech Sweeps Northwest
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Behind good pitching and timely hitting the No. 13 Oregon Tech Owls ran their win streak to nine games with a Cascade Conference doubleheader sweep of Northwest University Friday afternoon 12-4, 10-2 at the OIT Softball Complex. The Owls improve to 29-8 overall and 13-2 in CCC play with the sweep. The Eagles fall to 4-12 in Conference and 6-16 overall with today’sresults.
Oregon Tech will host No. 17 Concordia (30-10, 11-3 CCC) Saturday in a showdown for first place in the Conference it will also be a battle between two of the hottest teams in the NAIA as both teams enter Saturday’s match-up with current 9-game win streaks. Northwest will head over the hill to play Southern Oregon University (24-18, 5-9 CCC) in Ashland, Ore. Both doubleheaders are scheduled to begin at 11:00 am.
Game 1 – Northwest jumped out to a 1-0 lead scoring on two-hits in the top of the first but the Eagles left the bases loaded.
Tech answered, scoring four times on 3-hits and an error in the bottom of the frame, highlighted by a Sadie Birch 2-run single.
A 3-run home run off the bat of Katelyn Riedinger tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the 4th
Once again Tech would answer scoring twice in the bottom of the frame to take a 6-4 lead.
A three run, two-out triple by McKenzie Shrum followed by an RBI single from Tara Moates gave Tech a 10-4 lead. Tre Sullivan then doubled to left center to get OIT runners on 2nd and 3rd. Tasha Silvius then hit a towering fly ball to right field that couldn’t be caught scoring Moates and Sullivan to end the game by mercy rule 12-4.
Game 2 – Northwest took the early lead on a solo home run by Riedinger, her second long ball of the day and 6th of the year.
Tech came up with 3-runs in the bottom of the inning on 3-hits, a hit batter and a couple of walks.
The two teams exchanged solo home runs in the third; Savannah Rush went deep for Northwest and Cassidy Hoglund hit her second of the year for the Owls as OIT led 5-2.
Tech scratched across a run in the bottom of the 4th on an Eagle error and a two out base hit by Ashley Sfetku to go up 6-2.
Rylee Carleton came on in relief of starter Ann-Marie Guisher in the top of the 5th. After giving up a lead-off single, Carlton struck-out the next three batters to end the inning.
Moates hit her 9th home run of the season, a solo shot, in the bottom of the 5th to put the home team up 7-2. Birch then ended the game with a 3-run blast in the bottom of the 5th to end the game via mercy rule 10-2.
Guischer picked up the win in circle to move to 9-2 on the year.
Katie Virtue, Moates, and Cassidy Hoglund led the Owl offense with 2-hits each.
Tech’s McKenzie Shrum was hit by pitches three times in game 2 and one time in game 1.