ASHLAND – The No. 4-ranked Southern Oregon softball team wrapped up a home-opening series sweep of Warner Pacific on Saturday afternoon, winning 6-0 in the third Cascade Conference counter of the set and a 15-5, five-inning decision in the non-conference finale at University Field.
Hailey Seva launched a pair of solo home runs in Game 1 – a second-inning shot to right-center field that gave the Raiders (15-1 overall, 3-0 CCC) a 1-0 lead in the second inning, and another to dead center that made it 2-0 in the fourth.
That was enough for
Ayla Davies, who threw her second complete-game shutout in as many days and sixth of the season to bring her record to 10-1. The freshman surrendered four hits, struck out 10 and didn't issue a walk. Across three appearances in the series, she logged 13 scoreless innings with 23 strikeouts and no walks.
The Raiders padded their lead with three runs in the fifth inning, where
Ari Williams drove in two with an opposite-field double in a pinch-hit spot.
Sammie Pemberton's RBI bunt single followed, and
Kierstin Grotewiel contributed a run-scoring hit in the sixth.
At the top of the order,
Vanessa Lang and
Kailer Fulton had two singles apiece and accounted for three of SOU's runs scored. The home runs for Seva were her first of the season.
In Game 2, the Knights (1-9, 0-3) built a 4-0 lead through their first two at-bats before their defense failed them. Three errors in the bottom of second led to 10 unearned runs for SOU, which also strung together six hits in the frame.
Avery Coffin stroked a pair of doubles with two RBIs and two runs scored in a spot start at third base, and
Sarah Kerling went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs. Eight different Raiders recorded a hit in the contest;
Faith Moultrie was among them, tripling in one run before scoring another.
Kila Kennedy went 3 1/3 innings in relief to earn the decision. She struck out five while yielding three hits and a walk, and supplied a double at the plate.
Kili Makanani went 2-for-3 with a run scored for the Knights. Noe Barawis doubled in a run, walked and scored twice.
The Raiders are home again at 11 a.m. Monday for a non-conference twin bill against Montana State Billings. They travel to Carroll (Mont.) for another CCC series next weekend.
