Stephanie Vandenbusch finished with five hits on the day, including the game-winning triple in the opener
SOU Softball Picks Up Two Wins at SOU Tournament
MEDFORD – The Southern Oregon softball team picked up a pair of wins on the first day of the 2012 SOU Tournament, scoring three runs in the final inning to defeat Simpson 4-3 in the opener and leading from start to finish in a 5-1 win over Great Falls in the night cap Thursday at US Cellular Fields.
Southern Oregon improved to 5-3 overall this season with the wins. The Raiders will return to action tomorrow at 1 p.m., when SOU will play Great Falls in the first game of the tournament’s second day.
Southern Oregon 4, Simpson 3
BOX SCORE
Stephanie Vandenbusch finished with three hits in four at bats, including a clutch three-run triple in the top of the seventh inning to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 advantage as the Raiders earned the come-from-behind victory.
Kara Kelsey added two hits for the Raiders and Jordyn Kurtz picked up the complete-game victory, giving up one earned run on 10 hits. Brooke Quaife led Simpson with three hits and Trinity Cutt took the loss in relief of starter Morgan Davis.
The Raiders took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning. Back-to-back singles by Julia Willison and Vandenbusch with one out set up a walk to Ashley Lowe that loaded the bases. Kelsey picked up an infield single to drive Willison home and give SOU the advantage.
Simpson tied it in the fourth with one run on a couple hits, and the Red Hawks took advantage of a pair of SOU errors in the sixth to score two runs and take a 3-1 lead. The Raiders responded in their next and final at bat. Melissa Corn and Katie Moy led off with a pair of singles and Irene Barrantes advanced the pair to second and third. Kurtz reached on a fielder’s choice as the Red Hawks threw out Corn at home, but Willison walked to load the bases and Vandenbusch hit a bases-clearing triple to right field.
Simpson had a chance to tie it in the bottom of the inning. Morgan Davis reached on a fielding error to start the frame and Aleisha Brown sacrificed her to second. Quaife picked up an infield single to put runners at the corners with one out, and Quaife stole second to put the game-winning run in scoring position. But Kurtz struck out Corinne Alexander for the second out and got Nicki Feuerbach to fly out to right for the final out of the contest.
Southern Oregon 5, Great Falls 1
BOX SCORE
Moy picked up three hits to lead SOU in the second game, with Kelsey and Vandenbusch each adding a pair in the win. Karlie Stephens struck out 10 in the complete-game victory, giving up only one run on four hits with one walk.
Southern Oregon scored once in the first and four times in the second to build a solid lead that the Raiders would hold throughout the contest. Kelsey led off the first with a single and stole second, and one out later Moy drove her home with a single up the middle.
The Raiders picked up four more runs on four hits in the bottom of the second. Lowe led off with a walk and Stephens sacrificed her to second. After Brooke Springer struck out, Kelsey dropped a bunt single a couple of feet in front of the plate to put runners at the corners with one out. Kelsey then stole second, and Lowe came in to score as the throw to second sailed into centerfield. Jessica Flores walked and Moy, Barrantes and Vandenbusch dropped back-to-back-to-back RBI singles.