LeGRANDE, Ore. – The Northwest Christian softball team pounded out 21 hits on Friday, including four home runs as the Beacons swept a Cascade Collegiate Conference double header from Eastern Oregon, 7-2 and 12-5. Cotie Howard and Cassie Bishop alone combined to hit 9-for-15 with five doubles and a pair of dingers and Brooke Davis was at it again on the mound, going 2-0 with 13 strikeouts in 11 innings of work. 

Davis went the distance in game one, striking out nine batters while allowing just two earned runs. The Beacons went down 2-0 in the bottom of the third inning and were held to just one hit until the fifth, when things started to click. NCU scored one in the fifth and then took the lead for good in the sixth when Howard hit a three-run homer, her second of the season. 

The Beacons added another run before the inning was over and tacked on four more to open the seventh inning, finishing the game with ten hits. Head Coach Tim Hood said, “The one thing we did really well today was we waited for their pitchers to put it across the plate and then we took care of business.” 

The strong hitting carried over into game two where Corrie Gustafson (pictured) and Megan Mazanec each hit three-run homers in the second and third innings respectively and the Beacons were off to a 6-1 lead. Eastern began to make a game of it in the bottom of the third inning, tagging starting pitcher Kalyssa Koontz for four runs. Davis (5-6), however, returned to throw the final four innings, giving up just two hits and striking out four to snag her second victory of the day. 

The NCU offense wasn't finished, scoring six more runs over the final three innings, making it a 12-5 final. Bishop highlighted the late-game efforts with a solo homer, her third of the season. Bishop went 3-for-5 in the game with two doubles, capping off a 5-for-9 day. Howard batted 2-for-4 for the second straight game. 

The Beacons will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Caldwell, Idaho to face conference-leading College of Idaho. The Coyotes swept the Beacons back in March, 3-1 and 3-1.