LA GRANDE, Ore. – The University of Providence softball team fell to Eastern Oregon in both games of a doubleheader on Friday. The Argos (0-18, 0-12) lost to the Mountaineers (21-8, 10-2), who are receiving votes in the NAIA National Rankings, 2-1 in extra innings in the first game before falling 7-3 in the final game of the series.

"Overall we played much better today," head coach Joey Egan said. "We didn't execute the way we wanted to yesterday and I was proud of how the girls responded today. We still need to work on some of the little things but today was a much better effort than on Friday."

The two teams were very evenly matched in the first contest of the day. The Argos got on the board first, when Karlie David doubled to centerfield in the top of the third inning to bring Azia Umphrey home. The Mountaineers however, responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the third to knot it up at one run apiece.

The teams kept trading hits throughout the game, but neither team could capitalize on bringing their runners home. The game extended all the way until the ninth end, when the Mountaineers' Caitlin Crist singled to right field to bring the winning Mountaineer run home.

Overall the Argos recorded a total of eight hits in the first contest – Taylor Mathews led the way with three hits while David, Sam Hernandez, McKenna Montgomery, Ryen Palmer and McKenzie Staats all produced one. Carter Thornton played the entire game on the mound for the Argos, striking out five batters over eight innings.

The Mountaineers struck first in the final game of the series, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead. The Argos responded with a run of their own in the top of the second inning when Palmer brought Hernandez home on a single to left field.

The Mountaineers added another run in the bottom of the fourth inning to make it 4-1, but the Argos responded again in the top of the fifth inning when David came through for the squad again. The centerfielder brought two runners home off a single to left field to cut the lead to one. However the Mountaineers responded with a dominant 6^th inning, scoring three runners to make the score 7-3.

"We looked like a much more complete team today," Egan said. "We were right there in that first game today. We just have to come back to the practice field ready to work and get better."

The Argos will hit the road again next weekend with a pair of doubleheaders against Corban University in Salem, Ore. The first game will begin on April 1 at 3:00 p.m. MTN.