REDDING, Calif. –
Kailer Fulton slapped a two-out, two-run single in the top of the seventh inning to cap a four-hit game and deliver a 6-5 win for Southern Oregon over Simpson (Calif.) on Wednesday afternoon at SU Field.
The No. 4-ranked Raiders (7-0 overall) trailed 5-3 entering their final at-bat.
Sammie Pemberton was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and scored when a two-out error kept SOU alive.
Vanessa Lang's single and a double-steal then put a pair of runners in scoring position for Fulton, who went up the middle to drive in the tying and go-ahead runs.
Wet conditions contributed in part to spotty defense on both sides. The Raiders committed a season-high four errors, the Red Hawks (2-5) were charged with five, and all six of SOU's runs were unearned.
The Red Hawks led 5-1 before freshman pitcher
Ayla Davies came on to blank them over the final three frames. She struck out five, allowed one hit and walked one. After Simpson's leadoff hitter reached second base on an error to start the bottom of the seventh, Davies induced two weak popups and ended the game with her final strikeout.
She improved to 4-0 and has now surrendered just one run in 25 innings this season.
SOU second baseman
Vanessa Lang went 2-for-5 with a run scored. Fulton doubled and
Ari Williams tripled for the team's only extra-base hits.
The Raiders play five games at the NAIA SB Invitational in Shawnee, Okla., this weekend. Notably, they'll face No. Science & Arts (Okla.) and No. 3 Cumberlands (Ky.) on Saturday.