Raiders Take Pair from College of Idaho

4/5/2008 5:14:57 PM

ASHLAND, Ore. -- The two games couldn't have been more different, but in the end the Southern Oregon University softball team completed its first doubleheader sweep of the season by beating the College of Idaho 4-1 and 12-8 in cold, windy, rainy conditions at University Field on Saturday.

With the sweep, SOU moves to 7-5 in Cascade Conference play and finds itself alone in third place in the league standings. College of Idaho and Eastern Oregon were tied with SOU going into play today, but Oregon Tech swept EOU, and those teams now trail the Raiders by two games. SOU is 9-15 overall, while C of I has dropped four straight and is 14-12 on the season and 5-7 in league play.

Game 1. SOU 4 C of I 1

SOU's Alicia Caudill and C of I's Katie Zilner were locked in a pitchers' duel as each threw five innings of scoreless softball. C of I threatened throughout the game but Caudill always had an answer. In the first inning,  a base hit by Katie Murdock and a walk to Zilner put runners at first and second, but Caudill got Villyard to strike out and Haley Butcher to ground out.

In the second inning, Stacy Smith doubled to open the second inning but was left there. In the sixth inning C of I got Zilner to second on a base hit and sacrifice bunt, but she too was left stranded.

SOU couldn't generate much either through five innings as Zilner struck out 11 batters and yielded only a base hit to Megal Laughlin and a double to Danielle Stratton in the fifth inning. Zilner dominated the game until the bottom of the sixth when Crista Simon came to the plate with two out and nobody on. She slammed a home run over the right center field fence and the scoreless tie was broken and SOU had the lead.

Zilner was affected after the shot by Simon, as she walked Bailey Price and Mega Laughlin before striking out Joelle Riekeman. Savannah Sanitos then blasted a double, scoring both Price and Laughlin, and SOU's lead was suddenly 3-0. Danielle Strattor knocked in Sanitos with a single to right and the Raiders were in front 4-0 going into the seventh inning.

C of I finally got to Caudill in the seventh. A double by Stacy Smith started things off. She scored on a single by Katy Leutke and it was 4-1. Another base hit by Stephanie Stover brought the tying run to the plate with one out. Both Donnae Carrell and Katie Murdoch flied out to right field to end the game.
Caudill won her 5th game, Zilner took the loss.

Game 2, SOU 12 C of I 8

The Coyotes started like gang-busters by scoring two quick runs. They were helped out by receiving three walks by SOU pitcher Joelle Riekeman to start the game. A two-run double by Haley Butcher scored two runs and a Coyotes had a first inning 2-0 lead.

SOU tied the game in the bottom of the second with a single by Joelle Riekeman, a double by Savannah Sanitos and a fly out RBI by Karla Alvarez. But the 'Yotes would go on to score six runs in the third and take what seemed an insurmountable lead of 8-2. 

With an 8-2 lead the Coyotes would not score again, and Reikeman got strong as the game went along to pick up the her fourth win of the season.

The Raider comeback began in the fifth with an error allowing Laughlin to reach first followed by a Stratton double and a Reikeman triple. Three runs would score and SOU climbed within 8-5 going into the sixth inning.

SOU sent nine batters to the plate in the sixth. Crista Simon hit into a double play to start the inning after Ricci Coultas reached on an error. Two out, nobody on. A walk to Price was followed by three consecutive singles by Luaghlin, Stratton and Riekeman. Two runs scored and the lead was down to 8-7. Savannah Sanitos then gave SOU the lead with a towering two-run home run and the Raiders led for the first time 9-8.

SOU would score five times in the sixth and took a 12-8 lead into the seventh.

C of I could only muster a two-out triple by Haley Butcher, but Cailyn LePire struck out to end the game and SOU had its first sweep of a doubleheader all season.