Sydney White limited OIT to five earned runs in 12.1 innings pitched
Raiders and Owls Split Softball Doubleheader
BOX SCORE - Game One
BOX SCORE - Game Two
ASHLAND – Southern Oregon split a Cascade Collegiate Conference doubleheader against No. 11 Oregon Tech Tuesday afternoon, defeating the Owls 6-4 in the opener before OIT took the second game 8-2.
Southern Oregon goes to 15-20 overall and 11-11 in conference play, while Oregon Tech goes to 33-12 overall and 17-7 in the CCC. The Owls’ win marked head coach Greg Stewart’s 300th career victory in his ninth season at the helm of the OIT softball team, as the coach boasts a 300-126-2 overall record. Both teams return to action on Friday, as Southern Oregon will host nationally-ranked Corban and Oregon Tech will host Northwest Christian in CCC doubleheaders beginning at 2 p.m.
Julia Willison led SOU with three hits between the two games, while Jess Plummer tallied four total hits for Oregon Tech. Sidney White limited the Owls to three earned runs in a complete-game victory in the opener, and the SOU freshman pitched 5.1 innings of two-run relief during the second game. Rylee Carleton struck out 10 in seven innings to earn the second-game win for OIT, while Taylor Schmidt took the loss in the opener.
Southern Oregon scored in each of the final four innings and held off a late Oregon Tech rally in the opener. The Raiders’ first run came in the bottom of the third, as Irene Barrantes led off with a single and scored on an infield base hit by Kara Kelsey. Oregon Tech tied it up in the top of the fourth inning as McKenzie Shrum and Plummer opened with consecutive singles and Shrum scored on an SOU fielding error.
The Raiders used a pair of hits and an OIT error to add three runs in the bottom of the inning. Stephanie Vandenbusch reached on an error, Sierra Anderson walked and Willison singled to drive home the first run. Two outs later Jessica Flores drove home two more with a single to center to make it 4-1. Southern Oregon added a run the following inning as Kelsey reached on a bunt single and came in to score on an RBI groundout by Anderson.
Plummer homered in the top of the sixth to give OIT its second run of the game, and Ashley Lowe scored the Raiders’ sixth run of the game in the bottom of the frame on a single by Sulie Augustine.
Oregon Tech nearly tied it up in the top of the seventh, using three hits to score two runs and leaving the bases loaded. Adrienne Pace drove home the first run on a groundout and a Shrum sacrifice fly brought home the second run, but White induced a lineout to left by Sara Coates to end the game with the tying run stranded at second base.
In the second game, OIT combined five hits with an SOU error to score six unearned runs in the second inning. Two-RBI hits by Elise Goodell and Plummer helped drive SOU starter Karlie Stephens to the bench, despite none of the Owls’ runs being earned. The Raiders picked up two runs in the bottom of the inning as Lowe and Flores each singled in runs to make it 6-2.
The Owls scored a run in each of the final two innings to close out the 8-2 victory. Shauna Collins doubled home a run in the sixth and Plummer cranked her second home run of the day and 16th of the year in the top of the seventh. The teams conclude the regular season with a four-game split, each team claiming one home and road contest.