REDDING, Calif. - The Simpson softball team dropped its first two games today to begin its four-game home stand, 9-1 and 7-5 against No.2 in the nation Eastern Oregon.
The story of unearned runs in the first game plagued the Red Hawks as the Mountaineers took advantage of four Red Hawk errors to take the game in run-rule fashion.
The Mountaineers plated six runs in the top of the second inning as they took advantage of two Simpson errors. Eastern Oregon mixed in four hits as Lexi Grumbois posted a two-run single into right field.
The Red Hawks scratched one run across in the bottom half of the inning before the Mountaineers moved into run-rule territory on a two-run blast by Hope Burke in the sixth inning.
Eastern Oregon starter, Maliyah Mann, retired the Red Hawks in order to preserve the mercy-rule victory. She had it working as she allowed one run on two hits to earn her ninth victory of the year as they fired the complete game.
Simpson starter
Jacquelyn Lujan took the loss as she tossed 4.0 innings while allowing six unearned runs before handing the ball to Katelyn Robinett.
Game 2:
The Red Hawks and Mountaineers remained in a pitchers' duel for the first four innings of play as Simpson's starter
Grace Chojnacki and Eastern Oregon's Natalie Dimitrov held each others teamm off the scoreboard. Chojnacki allowed just three hits over the first four innings while Dimitrov held the Red Hawks to just one hit.
The Mountaineers drew first blood in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Raygun Klippert before extending their lead on a Simpson error. The Red Hawks countered as they plated one run in the bottom half of the inning, as a leadoff double by Nayzeth Gonzalkez came around to score on an RBI single by
Brianna Lopez-Cortez.
Eastern Oregon plated an insurance run in the top of the sixth inning before the Red Hawks stormed back for four runs in the bottom half of the inning to take the 5-3 lead. Simpson took advantage of three key errors as Lopez-Cortez made the Mountaineers pay with a three-run shot to right center.
However, the Mountaineers responded with four runs in the top of the seventh inning to take the 7-5 lead on five hits. Grumbois came through with the game-tying two-run double into left field before a pair of RBI singles by Allison Baumgart and Kelly Monoghan pushed across the go-ahead and insurance run.
A one-two-three bottom of the seventh inning sealed the come-from-behind victory for the Mountaineers as reliever Camille Schmitz earned the win while Chojnacki took the loss as she tossed 6.1 innings of seven-run ball.
Lopez-Cortez led the Red Hawks with a multi-hit game as she drove in four runs. Monaghan had herself a game for the Mountaineers as she finished a perfect four-for-four on the game.
Tomorrows first pitch of the twin-bill between Eastern Oregon and Simpson is scheduled for 11 am.
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