REDDING, Calif. – Sandwiched between 12-8 and 9-8 losses to Jessup (Calif.), the No. 2-ranked Southern Oregon softball team won 8-3 against Simpson (Calif.) on the opening day of the season Saturday at Big League Dreams Fields.

Jessup cranked five home runs in the first game against the Raiders, including back-to-back shots from Maddy Ybarra and Sam Lorge in the top of the sixth inning after SOU rallied to tie the game with three runs in the bottom of the fifth.

The long ball negated another comeback in the teams' second matchup. With SOU leading 8-7 after putting up a six-spot in the top of the sixth, Sarah Giles's two-run homer in the bottom of the inning proved to be the game-winner.

Katie Machado allowed only an unearned run in five innings of relief work to get the decision for the Raiders against Simpson. She struck out four and gave up five hits.

Piper Love went 3-for-4 in the win, hitting a three-run homer that broke a 2-2 tie in the third inning. Jordan Henderson was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and two runs scored, and Brooke Nordahl added a pair of hits. Sarah Kerling and Sammie Pemberton drove in a run apiece.

Henderson led the Raiders with five hits and Love with five RBIs on the day. Kerling, Love and Kailer Fulton each stroked four hits, and Pemberton went 3-for-10 with three RBIs.

The Raiders were originally scheduled to play single games against Jessup and Simpson on both Saturday and Sunday. Due to heavy rain in the forecast, the teams agreed to frontload the schedule instead. Sunday's action is canceled.