Ashley Lowe hit two home runs, including a walk-off grand slam, against C of I
SOU Goes 1-2 Against EOU and C of I
ASHLAND – After 28 innings on an overcast Sunday, Southern Oregon closed out the weekend with a 1-2 mark by dropping a 2-0 decision to Eastern Oregon in the morning and splitting an afternoon doubleheader with No. 20 College of Idaho in Cascade Collegiate Conference softball action.
Southern Oregon, 14-12 overall and 4-6 in conference play, began the day with a makeup game against EOU after Saturday’s doubleheader second game was postponed due to rain. Following the loss to the Mountaineers, the Raiders dropped a marathon 7-5 game to the Yotes in 14 innings before bouncing back with an 11-1 five-inning victory in the nightcap.
The Raiders will return to action Friday, April 6, when they will host Northwest Christian in a CCC doubleheader before closing out the home schedule with a Senior Day doubleheader against Concordia on April 7.
Eastern Oregon 2, Southern Oregon 0
BOX SCORE
Karlie Stephens limited Eastern Oregon to three hits and no earned runs, but Southern Oregon left eight runners on base as the Mountaineers closed the weekend series with a shutout. Kayla Anderson picked up the win for the visitors, pitching a complete game while yielding seven hits with four strikeouts.
Alyssa Miller finished 2-for-4, the only player for either team to tally multiple hits. The pitchers’ duel took a pair of shutouts into the top of the sixth inning, when Eastern Oregon scored the game’s first run. The Mountaineers took advantage of a pair of SOU errors in the inning. Suzie Espinoza reached on an error, and runners on first and second and two outs Alex Hillmick reached on another error that allowed the lead runner to score from second base.
Eastern Oregon added an insurance run in the top of the seventh, spurred on by another SOU fielding miscue. Ashli Hughes opened the inning with a double and came in to score when Mariebeth Watanabe reached on an error.
No. 20 College of Idaho 7, Southern Oregon 5 (14 innings)
BOX SCORE
Southern Oregon and College of Idaho combined for 29 hits and 22 runners left on base, but the Coyotes finally pulled out the victory with two runs in the top of the 14th inning. Alexis Macias earned the win with five shutout innings of two-hit ball in relief for C of I, while Chelsea Talbert pitched the final six innings and took the loss for the Raiders.
Molly Mills led all players with four hits in six at bats, while Macias added three hits and a pair of runs batted in. Nikki Shumway and Rachael Strong each finished with two hits for the Yotes. Ashley Lowe, Katie Moy, Sierra Anderson, Jessica Flores and Julia Willison all tallied two hits for the Raiders, and Willison hit a pair of clutch home runs to twice continue the game.
College of Idaho took an early 1-0 lead, as Molly Mills singled, advanced to second on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch. Southern Oregon tied the game in the bottom of the second. Jordyn Kurtz walked to open the inning, advanced on a Willison sacrifice and scored on a single by Anderson.
The Yotes briefly regained the lead with a run in the top of the seventh. Kristen Haugen singled to left center and scored on Strong’s double to right center to make it 2-1 going into the bottom of the seventh. After a pair of sacrifice bunts in her first two plate appearances, Willison stepped to the plate to lead off the inning and ripped a home run to tie the game and force extra innings.
Three more runs in the top of the eighth gave the visitors a 5-2 lead. Shumway, Mills and Nickayla Skinner hit consecutive singles and Macias followed with a two-run double to give the Yotes their largest lead of the game. Southern Oregon got back-to-back singles from Lowe and Moy to open the inning, and Willison delivered again for the Raiders as the SOU catcher launched a line drive over the left field foul pole to tie it up at 5-5.
Both teams had numerous opportunities to score after the eighth inning, with College of Idaho stranding a pair of runners in the ninth, 10th and 12th innings and Southern Oregon totaling five runners left on base the rest of the way. The Yotes used three hits in the 14th to score the final two runs and earn the win. Shumway reached on a bunt single, advanced on a sacrifice and scored on Kendall Pavey’s RBI single. Pavey made it to third on a single by Macias and scored on Haugen’s sacrifice fly.
Southern Oregon 11, No. 20 College of Idaho 1
BOX SCORE
Southern Oregon scored two runs in the second, third and fourth innings and clinched the victory with five runs in the fifth as Lowe hit a walk-off grand slam with two outs. Stephens limited C of I to one run on five hits to earn the win, while Kayla Park took the loss for the visitors after yielding five earned runs in 4.2 innings.
Lowe knocked two home runs as part of her 3-for-4 game, totaling six RBI in the contest. Anderson added two hits for the Raiders and Pavey finished with a pair of hits for the Yotes.
Kurtz opened the scoring in the bottom of the second, leading off the inning with a home run to left center. Willison and Anderson followed with back-to-back walks, and later in the inning Anderson scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0 SOU. The Raiders added two more in the third as Lowe singled and Moy doubled to center. Kurtz followed with an RBI groundout, and Moy scored on Anderson’s two-out single up the middle.
Lowe brought home two more runs for the Raiders in the bottom of fourth when she hit her first homer of the game. College of Idaho picked up its lone run in the top of the fifth when Mills doubled to left center and scored on Pavey’s single.
In the bottom of the fifth, Anderson and Melissa Corn each singled with one out and Stephens and Kara Kelsey each reached on C of I errors that scored Anderson and loaded the bases. With two outs and the bases full, Lowe stepped back up to the plate and cranked a walk-off grand slam to right center.