#3 Raiders run winning streak to 7 games

2/18/2018 9:04:00 PM

SOU Sports Information

REDDING, Calif. – Southern Oregon's sixth and seventh consecutive wins required one extra inning, one late-inning rally and two scoreless Gabby Sandoval relief appearances Sunday at Simpson Field.

The third-ranked Raiders (11-3 overall) went to an international tiebreaker against Menlo (8-9) to pull out a 4-3 win in eight innings, then erased a two-run deficit with a six-run seventh in a 7-2 win over No. 18 Simpson (8-8) – completing weekend sweeps of both teams.

Sandoval, a sophomore, picked up two wins to go to 6-2, pitching 2 1/3 innings of the first game and the last 3 2/3 of the second. She's allowed one earned run in 16 innings over her last four appearances.

She also got some defensive help against Menlo. With a runner placed on second to start the top of the extra frame, Sandoval gave up a leadoff single to Cassie Grana, but center fielder Hannah Wessel cut down Lauren Harrison with a strong throw to the plate. With two on and two out later in the inning, Natalie Dorsey singled to left fielder Avery Morehead-Hutsell, who caught Regina Juarez overrunning second base.

SOU didn't need a hit to score the winning run in the bottom half: Harlee Donovan reached on a fielder's choice bunting over Hannah Shimek from second, and Shimek later scored on their double steal.

Shimek and Kelsey Randall had two hits apiece. Randall lined an RBI double in the third to put the Raiders on the board, and Shimek stroked a pair of RBI singles in the third and fifth. Menlo needed Bryce Etzler's two-run triple in the sixth to tie it.

In Game 2, Simpson went up with two unearned runs in the third against starter Allie Hancock. The wheels fell off for the Redhawks in the fifth, which was set up by a fielding error, an ill-conceived fielder's choice and a bunt single intended only to advance the runners – loading the bases for SOU with no one out.

The next four Raiders reached base: Tayler Walker walked to force in the first run, Karlee Coughlin and Taelor Mayben hit back-to-back RBI singles and Olivia Mackey smacked a two-run double to left. Randall later ended the rally with another run-scoring double, and SOU added a run in the sixth on another RBI hit from Mackey.

Mayben went 3-for-3 and Mackey 2-for-3 in the game. Randall and Donovan extended their hitting streaks to nine and seven games, respectively.

The Raiders will meet Menlo again in a doubleheader Friday in Atherton, Calif. On Saturday, they'll move to Rocklin for a twin bill against William Jessup.