Sandoval, Raasch blank UBC as Raiders finish another sweep

3/25/2017 4:48:00 PM

SOU Sports Information

ASHLAND – Two streaking teams stayed on opposite trajectories Saturday afternoon as 18th-ranked Southern Oregon completed a four-game sweep of British Columbia in two wins shortened by the mercy rule – 8-0 in five innings and 8-0 in six at University Field.

The first-place Raiders (25-4 overall, 11-1 Cascade Conference) ran their winning streak to 13 games. The last-place Thunderbirds (1-16, 0-9) have lost 15 straight.

Freshman pitchers Gabby Sandoval and Lexie Raasch threw complete games for the Raiders, giving the team three consecutive shutouts for the first time since 2003. Sandoval (11-3) struck out five with one walk in a two-hitter and only let one Thunderbird get past first base. Raasch (3-0), making her second career start, scattered three singles with two strikeouts and two walks and held UBC hitless over the final four innings.

Kelsey Randall went 6-for-7 on the day to extend her hitting streak to 14 and played error-free defense at shortstop for the 10th and 11th games in a row.

In Game 1 – the CCC counter of the twin bill – Karlee Coughlin, who threw the first shutout of the series Friday, went 3-for-3 with a triple, a double and three runs scored. Rebecca Velasquez's single in the first and Abigail Lund's squeeze bunt in the second put the Raiders up 2-0, and Randall doubled the lead in the fourth with a two-run double to right field.

Later in the fourth, Harlee Donovan hit a single for her team-leading 25th RBI and Velasquez added a two-run liner to left. Aaliyah Oliver, who reached in all three plate appearances, pulled a single down the first-base line to score Coughlin and end the game in the fifth.

The Raiders also opened up Game 2 early with three runs in the first and two in the second. Tiana Brown, Davalin Ontiveros and Madison Mockley all recorded two hits in spot starts. Mockley poked a two-run single in the first and Ontiveros smoked a single to score Brown in the third.

Oliver triggered the eight-run rule again in the sixth with a hit that scored Mackenzie Evangelisti. The Thunderbirds committed five errors in the game that cost them seven unearned runs.

Velasquez also doubled in the game for her 19th RBI of the season and eighth in SOU's last eight games.