EUGENE – Last-place Bushnell made Southern Oregon sweat twice in Cascade Conference play Friday at Schwab Field, but there was no harm done as the top-ranked Raiders escaped with 1-0 and 2-1 wins.
SOU (28-2 overall, 12-1 CCC) completed the doubleheader sweep after the Beacons (6-20, 1-13) put the potential tying runs in scoring position with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 2.
Ayla Davies got the save after throwing a four-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks in Game 1. Davies, now 17-1, only allowed one Beacon to advance into scoring position in that performance, which marked her 10th shutout of the season.
The Raiders, who were limited to five hits in the opener by Bushnell starter Sara Martin, manufactured their only run in the second inning on a
Kennedy Kila single that scored
Hailey Seva from second base.
In Game 2, they broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning after
Avery Coffin,
Sarah Kerling and
Vanessa Lang loaded the bases with no outs, setting up
Ari Williams' two-out RBI single to the opposite field. They tacked in another in the sixth on
Sammie Pemberton's run-scoring single after
Piper Love led off with a walk and was sacrificed over.
Katie Fodge, SOU's Game 2 starter, was masterful through six two-hit innings. She exited in the seventh when Brooklyn Rondeau swung at strike three but reached on a wild pitch and Riley Peeler followed with a single.
Davies saved it for Fodge, but only after Rondeau and Peeler executed a successful double steal. With one out, Ashlyn Martin sent a deep drive to left field that
Kailer Fulton chased down at the fence, limiting Martin to a sacrifice fly, and Davies then induced a harmless popup to end the game.
The Raiders have now allowed one or no runs 18 times this season, including 11 CCC games.
The teams finish the series Saturday with two games starting at 11 a.m.