The Benedictine Mesa softball team split its Saturday evening doubleheader against No. 13 Eastern Oregon, dropping a close first game 9-8 before bouncing back with a 7-4 victory in the second.
Game 1: Eastern Oregon 9, Benedictine Mesa 8
In a thrilling back-and-forth battle, Benedictine Mesa and Eastern Oregon exchanged blows in a high-scoring affair, with EOU securing a narrow 9-8 win.
Eastern Oregon struck first in the opening inning as Durham roped a two-run double to center, scoring Klippert and Tyree. Olson followed with a groundout RBI, giving EOU an early 3-0 lead.
BENU responded in the fourth with an explosive six-run inning.
Chloe Wright put the Redhawks on the board with an RBI single, followed by run-scoring hits from
Gabrielle Perez and
Shayera McDaniel.
Amaya Ruiz delivered the biggest blow with a two-RBI single, putting Benedictine ahead 6-3. Perez then added to the lead with a solo home run in the fifth, making it 7-3.
EOU clawed back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth before tying the game in the sixth, highlighted by a two-RBI triple from Evans and an RBI double from Tyree.
BENU briefly reclaimed the lead in the seventh when
Araya Ogden delivered an RBI single to make it 8-7, but EOU had the final say. Olson launched a game-tying solo home run, and Monaghan drove in the go-ahead run, sealing a dramatic 9-8 victory for the Mountaineers.
Despite the loss, Benedictine showcased resilience and offensive firepower, setting the stage for an exciting rematch.
Game 2: Benedictine Mesa 7, Eastern Oregon 4
BENU bounced back in the second game, overcoming an early deficit with a strong offensive performance to claim a 7-4 victory.
EOU took a 2-0 lead in the third inning when Spencer singled home Evans and later scored on a groundout.
The Redhawks responded in the fourth, taking advantage of an EOU error to plate their first run.
Shayera McDaniel then stole second, allowing
Gabrielle Perez to score and tie the game at 2-2.
BENU broke the game open in the fifth, capitalizing on defensive miscues and patient at-bats. A bases-loaded walk to
Chloe Wright brought in
Brandee Ayala for the go-ahead run, followed by another walk to McDaniel, which forced in
Leiana Madrazo. A chaotic sequence allowed two more runs to score, extending BENU's lead to 6-2.
Annaleia Jenkins added an insurance run in the sixth with an RBI single down the left-field line, driving in Madrazo.
EOU made one last push in the bottom of the inning when Tyree hit a two-run double to cut the deficit to 7-4, but Benedictine's defense held strong to secure the win.
With aggressive baserunning and timely hitting, the Redhawks' resilience proved to be the difference.
Key Players:
Looking Ahead:
BENU was set to play The College of Idaho, but the game was canceled due to rain. The Redhawks will return to action on March 1st when they take on Madonna University in Tucson.
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