KLAMATH FALLS – Kacie Schmidt headlined another stingy day for the Oregon Tech pitching staff as the No. 6-ranked Owls finished off a four-game sweep of No. 6 Southern Oregon, winning 3-0 and 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at Stilwell Stadium.
Schmidt, who earned both decisions for OIT (16-6 overall, 7-2 Cascade Conference) on Friday, pitched a three-hit shutout in Game 1, the third and final CCC counter of the set. She never allowed the Raiders (17-8, 6-3) to advance a runner past first base and got a lead to work with in the first inning, when Nita Cook led off with a triple and scored on Kaila Mick's sacrifice fly.
Puakea Milbourne hit an RBI double in OIT's two-run fourth against SOU starter
Katie Machado, who went all six innings and limited the Owls to six hits.
Mckenzie Staub gave up one run in 5 1/3 innings for the Owls in Game 2. After
Piper Love's run-scoring single trimmed OIT's lead to one in the sixth and the Raiders loaded the bases with one out, Alli Parker came on in relief and induced an inning-ending double play. She went on to complete a five-out save, escaping trouble in the seventh, too, when
Kennedy Kila was stranded at second after leading off with a double.
Milbourne homered and Cook hit a run-scoring triple for OIT against SOU starter
Katie Fodge.
Mayze Menefee threw three innings of scoreless relief for the Raiders.
OIT won all four matchups by a combined margin of seven runs. The series was especially clean: There were three errors combined between the teams and none committed on Saturday.
The Raiders are scheduled to play a CCC series next weekend at Providence (Mont.).