The Southern Oregon University Raider women finally opened the home portion of their schedule, with a doubleheader against Corban University from Salem on Friday.
The Lady Raiders won the opening game 5-to-0, but lost the second game in the sixth inning via the ten run rule, 13-to-2.
In the first game, junior Jordyn Kurtz took the circle and crushed the Warrior’s spirit with 10 strikeouts over 7 shutout innings.
“In the first inning I was nervous being at home for the first time,” Kurtz said.
Offensively the team smacked the ball around off Corban’s pitching, made the most of 3 errors and scored 5 runs on 6 hits.
Before the crowd had settled, Brooke Springer got a hit, stole third base and scored the first run.
Gia Dimaggio led the team with 2 hits, 1 RBI, in addition to scoring a run on a Corban error.
“I’m very impressed with how we did. That was classic Raider’s softball, good defense and solid offense,” added Kurtz.
Unfortunately, the second game found the team deflated by a knockout blow, after 4 of the first 5 Warrior hitters scored and flipped their line-up sending ten total batters to the plate.
As a pitching staff, the circle looked to be a place to avoid.
Karlie Stephens started with little affect allowing 4 earned runs, before Jessica Flores found a way to hold off the Warrior’s for 4 1/3 innings before giving way after letting her third run cross the plate.
Next, Karri Johnson only gave up 2 hits, walked 2 and gave up 5 runs, then Lauren Keel finished the last of the sixth inning with 1 hit, 1 run and 2 outs.
At the plate, the team continued to spray hits around the field totaling 9 for the second game and 6 in the first game.
Sarah Wharton, Melissa Corn and Okimoto had 2 hits each, with Okimoto driving in the Corn twice for the Lady Raider’s only runs.
“Overall I feel fine! The team is ok!” Coach Kim Fritts said. “We let ourselves slip in the second game.”
The second game also found important hits coming from bats in need of waking up.
“I’ve been focusing on quality of swing over quantity,” Corn said. “I am about thinking positive and not getting down on myself.”
A conference record of 5-3 puts the team in the middle of the playoff chase with a home heavy schedule to finish the season.
“We are going to beat each other up in this conference,” Fritts said.
Raider’s softball plays a double header against conference leader OIT Thursday in Klamath Falls, before hosting a doubleheader against Concordia on Saturday.
