Southern Oregon University’s softball team faced Northwest Christian University in Eugene for a key conference battle that turned into a sweeping massacre.
The doubleheader started the final road trip of a year that finds SOU fighting to reach the post-season, with back-to-back doubleheaders on opponent’s home fields.
In the kick-off doubleheader against Northwest Christian the name of the day was homerun, because the wind was briskly moving up the Willamette River from the coast and funneling straight out to centerfield so hard the flag looked to fly away at any second.
The pitching circle looked to be a scary place for pitchers to venture, however Jordyn Kurtz rocked the Beacons’ world in the first game and Jessica Flores threw a shutout in the nightcap.
The home team could not hold off an SOU team that looked to be on a butt-kicking mission, from the 3rd inning on they outscored NWC 24-to-1.
In the first game Kurtz picked up the win to move to 9-to-6 on the season, and in the nightcap Jessica “J Flo” Flores pitched a complete game one hitter for the win.
“It helps to have a really good defense behind you and we have been doing really good the last few games,” Jessica Flores said after the big win. “As long as we keep hitting the ball and playing solid defense, we will be fine.”
Offensively the Raiders found hits, runs and scores easy to come by, with many stars coming to bat and helping the team in a positive way.
In the first game Katie Moy and Rayna Okimoto had 3 hits, Irene Barrantes and Kurtz had 2 hits, 5 players had multiple RBI’s and 4 players scored multiple runs, while Okimoto and Barrantes continue to be homer machines with 1 more each.
In the second game the offense jumped to a 7 run lead and coasted to a 10 run win, with every position player having at least one hit. Moy adding 3 more hits for a total of 6 hits, 4 runs scored, and 4 more batted in one day.
Okimoto’s homerun moves her within one of equaling the school record for homeruns in a season, then in the seventh inning, Moy doubled to left-center to break the school’s career doubles record with 34.
“I’m just seeing the ball real well and I really feel comfortable, plus I’m not really thinking, I’m just going with a see ball, hit ball mentality and it’s working,” Moy said following the game.
After the sweep, Southern Oregon (14-8), College of Idaho (12-8), Corban (12-8) and Concordia (11-7) are in a virtual tie with the players traveling to Salem to face Corban, while Concordia is in Caldwell, Idaho to face College of Idaho.