Under Armour Team of the Week Announced
LA GRANDE, Ore. –The Southern Oregon University softball team has been named the “Under Armour Team of the Week” for March 11-17 the Cascade Collegiate Conference announced Sunday.
The No. 3 ranked team in the nation hosted No. 9 Oregon Tech on the SOU campus in what was originally scheduled as road games. The late winter and accumulated snow delayed the Owls ability to cut the ribbon on their new turf field so games were shifted to Ashland.
On Saturday the Raiders took game one 3-0 behind pitcher of the year candidate Gabby Sandoval's sixth shutout. The ace has already been named the CCC Red Lion Pitcher of the Week on three occasions in the young season. Hannah Wessel's blasted her first career home run in the victory. It took nine innings for SOU to capture the second game 5-4. Tayler Walker and Tiana Brown blasted solo homers in the second and fourth innings to give SOU the 3-2 lead. It was Brown’s first career home run. Brown and Paige Leeper hit back-to-back two-out RBI singles in the ninth that helped secure the win.
Down 1-0 in the top of the 7
th inning, Avery Morehead-Hutsell laced a pitch into center field for a triple scoring three runs as the Raiders came from behind to take the third and final CCC counter of the weekend. Hannah Wessel and Olivia Mackey extended the game with back-to-back singles that loaded the bases before Hutsell drove the ball deep to the fence.
In the fourth and final game, a non-conference counting affair, SOU’s bats exploded in the 11-4 victory scoring five runs in the first three innings and adding another five in the 7
th.
No. 3 Southern Oregon (21-4, 8-1 CCC) will host Northwest Christian in double header contests March 22-23.