HELENA, Mont. – Southern Oregon clinched hosting rights for the Cascade Conference Tournament, at least a share of the regular-season title, and another 40-win season while fattening up on Carroll (Mont.) pitching with 10-5 and 18-0 victories Friday at Centennial Park.
The momentous afternoon coincided with a cartoonish outing for senior
Lauren Quirke. Her player-of-the-year case picked up more steam as she went 8-for-9 with two home runs, three doubles, nine RBIs and seven runs scored at the plate, and pitched a two-hit shutout that wrapped up in five innings in Game 2.
The Raiders (40-2 overall, 24-1 CCC) – winners of 15 straight – totaled 35 hits in the doubleheader. They clinched thanks to College of Idaho's back-to-back losses to Oregon Tech, which left both teams four games back the Raiders with four to play.
SOU can claim its third consecutive conference championship outright with another win against the Saints (12-27, 7-16) Saturday. The twin bill starts at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.
Several other Raiders joined the hit parade:
Allie Stines went 6-for-7 on the day with five runs and three RBIs;
Riley Donovan went 5-for-5 with five RBIs, four runs scored, her sixth homer of the season in Game 2, and two doubles;
Avery Morehead-Hutsell and
Hannah Shimek had four hits apiece; and
Erika Marquez blasted her first career homer as a pinch-hitter in Game 2.
The opener was tied 5-5 before Quirke's RBI single in the fourth inning. In the sixth, she launched a three-run home run.
Despite giving up five earned runs, Raider pitcher
Gabby Sandoval improved to 21-0 with her 20th complete game. She struck out eight.
Quirke's Game 2 victory made her 14-2. Before ever throwing a pitch, she gave herself a 2-0 lead with a two-run shot – her ninth of the season – in the top of the first. She and Donovan hit RBI doubles in the second, and the Raiders scored eight on five hits in the third.
Rylan Austin went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Morehead-Hutsell scored three runs in Game 2.
