LA GRANDE — In a mid-week home tilt, the Mountaineers came up just shy of an upset victory.

The Eastern Oregon University softball team lost two close games in a doubleheader to No. 5 College of Idaho on Tuesday, March 29, dropping game one 1-0 and game two 3-0.

The losses dropped the Mountaineers’ record to 21-10 on the year and 10-4 in conference play.

Game 1: College of Idaho 1 — Eastern Oregon 0

Eastern found itself in a pitching duel in game one, with Amanda Smith throwing a gem. The senior pitched the full eight-inning slate, allowing five hits and the game-winning run. She struck out four batters in an efficient showing. Smith fell to 10-3 on the season.

Katelyn Wilfert also pitched a gem for the Yotes, going eight scoreless innings. The senior allowed three hits and struck out eight Eastern batters.

It was a difficult game at the plate for the Mountaineers, with Caitlin Crist, Madison Stateler and Karsyn Zaragoza tallying the team’s only hits.

Despite the scoreless showing, Eastern found itself with runners in scoring position with no outs in the bottom of the first inning. Wilfert was able to pitch out of the jam, keeping the game scoreless — after a 0-0 tie through seven innings, the Mountaineers and Yotes headed to extra innings.

In the eighth inning, the College of Idaho’s Haley Loffer hit a home run to left field that put the first run of the game on the board. In the bottom frame, Stateler singled with one out to put a runner on the bases. Hannah Tyree hit into a fielder’s choice, putting Eastern down to its final out. Kayla Berg struck out on the final at-bat of the day for the Mountaineers, giving the College of Idaho the 1-0 victory.

Game 2: College of Idaho 3 — Eastern Oregon 0

The Mountaineers played out another low-scoring game in the second matchup of a doubleheader, allowing late runs to the Yotes to lose 3-0.

Hannah McNerney pitched a shutout for the College of Idaho, allowing just four hits over seven innings. McKenna Stallings went seven innings, allowing eight hits and three runs — she struck out three batters but fell to 5-4 on the year.

Both teams fell scoreless through the first four innings, until College of Idaho’s Hallie Holland singled to left in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 1-0 game. Two innings later, the Yotes added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh that ultimately sealed the victory. Makenna Luke scored on a wild pitch, before Kylie Smith singled to left field to score Holland and make it a 3-0 game.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Mountaineers managed to put runners on first and second with two outs and bring the tying run to the plate. McNenery struck out Smith in the final at-bat to secure the victory for the College of Idaho and sweep the doubleheader.

The losses snapped a four-game winning streak for Eastern, dropping the Mountaineers from second to fourth in the Cascade Collegiate Conference standings.

Following the doubleheader, Eastern will hit the road for six straight road games. The Mountaineers will play back-to-back doubleheaders against Warner Pacific on April 1 and April 2, before facing the Yotes on the road for a doubleheader on April 5.