Raiders total 28 hits in wins against Argos

A 28-hit afternoon kept No. 9 Southern Oregon atop the Cascade Conference standings and led to a 10-0, 9-3 sweep of winless Providence (Mont.) on Friday at University Field.

Ten different Raiders tallied multiple hits on the day in an offensive display headed by Ashton Cathey, Riley Donovan and Kailer Fulton, who had four apiece. They improved to 14-4 overall and 7-1 in the CCC, while the Argos dipped to 0-9 and 0-5.

Cayla Williams, SOU’s Game 1 starter in the circle, improved to 6-2 and needed just 47 pitches to complete a one-hitter in five innings. After surrendering a leadoff double, she retired 15 of the last 16 Argos she faced.

Katie Machado upped her record to 6-1 by following with a complete game of her own. She gave up six hits and one earned run over seven frames, striking out six.

Fulton went 3-for-3 with a pair of runs in the opener, and Williams started the scoring with a two-run single in SOU’s five-run first inning. Cathey added two hits, two RBIs and two runs, Rylan Austin went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored, and Williams later tacked on another hit.

In Game 2, Donovan lined a two-run single in the first and finished 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. At the bottom half of the lineup, Sammie Pemberton, Piper Love and Lindsey Stripling had two hits each, while Fulton and Deja Acosta both scored twice at the top.

Sarah Kerling gave the Raiders a 6-3 lead with an RBI double down the third-base line in the fifth inning, and they broke the game open with three more runs in the sixth.

Entering Saturday’s 11 a.m. doubleheader against Providence, SOU has won nine of its last 10 games – a stretch in which the Raiders have outscored their opponents 90-24.

The Argos have dropped 26 consecutive head-to-head matchups against SOU.​

Content used with permission, compliments of SOU Sports
Photo by Al Case, Ashland Daily Photo.