gonzalez
Al Case, Ashland Daily Photo
11
Southern Oregon SOU 34-15
12
Winner Eastern Oregon EOU 27-21
Southern Oregon SOU
34-15
11
Final
12
Eastern Oregon EOU
27-21
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Southern Oregon SOU 0 3 0 7 0 1 0 11 11 0
Eastern Oregon EOU 3 6 1 1 1 0 X 12 18 2

W: KLINE, Hailey (15-6) L: Mackey, Victoria (15-3)

Game Recap: Softball | | SOU Sports Information

Raiders' rally negated in 12-11 loss to Eastern Oregon

ASHLAND – Eastern Oregon was one of the only teams to get a handle on Southern Oregon's pitching during the regular season, so it was bad news for the Raiders when EOU played its way into a matchup with them in their Cascade Conference Softball Tournament opener.

The Raiders failed to solve the EOU lineup again Friday afternoon in a wild 12-11 loss at University Field, putting them on the brink of an early exit in the first conference tourney they've ever hosted. They'll play an elimination game at 9 a.m. Saturday against Oregon Tech – which was also upset, 3-2 by Great Falls – for the right to play another elimination game at 4:30 p.m. against either Corban or Carroll.

The Mountaineers started the day with a 7-1 extra-inning defeat of Corban, going scoreless through the first eight innings before exploding four seven runs in the ninth. They picked up where they left off in that one against SOU – which had a bye in the first run – by totaling 18 hits and putting up three runs in the first, six in the second and one more in the third.

Leading 10-4 with two outs in the top of the fourth, though, the Mounties booted Kelsey Randall's grounder to second and committed a throwing error on the same play, allowing Abigail Lund and Megan Winton to come home despite a baserunning snafu that put them simultaneously at third base. The Raider rally escalated from there: Kayleen Smith blooped an RBI single to right, Rebecca Velasquez poked an RBI single to left and Tyler Burke lined a two-run, game-tying double to left-center – all with two outs.

The Mounties regrouped in the bottom of the inning when Jorden Gerlach hit a leadoff single, stole second and scored on Cheyenne Barker's single. They added an insurance run in the fifth thanks to leadoff hits by Shelby Baertsch and Maryssa Santi. Alex Shuster walked, and Jorden Gerlach's bases-loaded walk made it 12-10.

Barker – who also launched a grand slam against Corban – went 3-for-5 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored, while cleanup hitter Marisa Gonzalez followed her in the lineup with a 3-for-4 effort and two runs. At the bottom of the order, Baertsch was 3-for-5 with a double, three RBI and two runs and Santi was 3-for-5 with a run.

SOU starter Sydney White, who had allowed two earned runs or less in each of her previous 11 outings, was tagged for seven hits and eight runs in 3 1/3 innings. Victoria Mackey took the loss, though, after yielding 11 hits and four runs in 2 2/3.

Velasquez (one run, one RBI), Burke (two doubles, two runs, two RBI), Lund (one run, two RBI) and Kelsey Randall had two hits apiece for the Raiders. Jazmin Ruvalcaba added a two-run double that tied the game at 3 in the third inning.

SOU is 0-3 against EOU this season, and all three meetings have been in Ashland.

The Mountaineers will play Great Falls at 2 p.m. Saturday for an automatic bid to the national tournament and a spot in Sunday's championship round.
 
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