College softball roundup: Smith’s no-hitter highlights sweep of Warner Pacific

Published 7:30 pm Sunday, April 3, 2022

PORTLAND — It was a productive weekend for the Eastern Oregon University softball team, winning all four of its matchups at Warner Pacific to improve to 25-10 on the year and 14-4 in conference play.

Game 1: Eastern Oregon 11 — Warner Pacific 0

Eastern’s first game of the series was highlighted by a spectacular showing from Amanda Smith, who pitched a five-inning no-hitter. Smith stuck out six batters en route to a dominant win for the Mountaineers.

Eastern took a 4-0 lead at the end of the first inning and added seven runs in the top of the fifth to walk away with an 11-run victory.

Haley Ebner had a strong day at the plate, totaling a game-high four RBIs on the day.

Caitlin Crist, Hannah Tyree and Karsyn Zaragoza all scored two runs each in a productive offensive showing.

Game 2: Eastern Oregon 4 — Warner Pacific 2

The Mountaineers found themselves in a much closer contest in the second game of the series, as two runs in the top of the sixth added enough run support to win 4-2.

The Mountaineers tallied a run in both the third and fifth innings, taking an early lead. Eastern scored two more runs in the sixth to lead 4-0, but Warner Pacific closed the gap with runs in both the sixth and seventh innings.

McKenna Stallings pitched well for Eastern, striking out five batters over five innings. She allowed one run off seven hits and earned the victory.

Kayla Berg was 2-3 at the plate, scoring one run. Madison Stateler, Taylor Dow, Ebner and Rhyanne Oates all tallied one RBI each.

Game 3: Eastern Oregon 3 — Warner Pacific 1

On day two of the road trip, Smith picked up right where she left off with another strong outing. The senior pitched seven innings and stuck out nine batters, allowing one run off three hits. The victory improved her record to 12-3 on the year.

The game was neck-and-neck through four scoreless innings to start the game. Shelby Starr hit an RBI-single in the top of the fifth inning to put the Mountaineers up 1-0.

Warner Pacific tied up the game in the sixth inning off an error, leading to a game-deciding seventh inning. Starr was back making an impact again, hitting a two-RBI single to center field to give the Mountaineers a decisive 3-1 lead. Smith stayed on the mound to wrap up the final inning en route to a victory.

Game 4: Eastern Oregon 8 — Warner Pacific 7

After leading for nearly the entirety of the first three games, Eastern found itself down big in the final game of the series. The Mountaineers trailed 7-3 heading into the seventh innings, before erupting for five runs and stealing the victory at the end.

The Mountaineers cut the lead to 7-5, setting up Ebner with the game-tilting at-bat. Ebner hit a three-RBI double to give Eastern the lead and ultimately walk away with a series sweep.

Berg was the winning pitcher, striking out three batters over two innings. Stallings came in and pitched a scoreless final inning to earn the save.

Coming off the victories, Eastern will travel to face the rival College of Idaho for a doubleheader on April 5. The first pitch is slated for 1 p.m.

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