Southern Oregon Softball Named CCC Team of the Week
LA GRANDE, Ore. – The surging Southern Oregon softball team has been named the Cascade Collegiate Conference Team of the Week for March 19-26 after running its win streak to 13 games over the weekend.
The streak, which is SOU’s longest since 2005, stayed active with four home wins over British Columbia – 4-3, 5-0, 8-0 and 8-0 – that gave the Raiders sole possession of first place in the standings. Going into next weekend’s clashes at Corban (the only other one-loss team in the circuit), the Raiders are 25-4 overall and 11-1 in CCC play.
After cracking the NAIA Top 25 at No. 18 in Tuesday’s first regular-season poll of the year, the Raiders opened their four-game stand against the Thunderbirds with a 4-3 victory that Taylor Martinez won with a walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh. It was the fifth time during the streak that they’d gone ahead in their final at-bat.
What followed were three consecutive shutouts, a feat the SOU pitching staff hadn’t accomplished since 2003. Three freshmen – Karlee Coughlin, Gabby Sandoval and Lexie Raasch – tossed complete games, combining to allow nine hits with nine strikeouts and only four walks in 18 scoreless innings of work.
Junior shortstop Kelsey Randall led the Raiders at the plate by going 9-for-14 in the series and extending her hitting streak to 14 games. She also anchored a defense that committed just two errors.