|
Raiders Narrowly Salvage Softball
Split Against Red-Hot Eastern
by
Rich Rosenthal
Southern Oregon University SID
May 01, 2004
Game 1 - Eastern Oregon 12, Southern Oregon 2
Game 2 - Southern Oregon 4, Eastern Oregon 3
ASHLAND, Ore. - The 24th-ranked Southern Oregon University softball
team maintained its four-game Cascade Conference lead by salvaging a
doubleheader split against second-place Eastern Oregon University
this afternoon.
The Mountaineers (23-14, 12-9) handed the Raiders (32-10, 14-5)
their most lopsided home loss in over two years with a 12-2,
five-inning Game 1 romp, but SOU fended off a seventh-inning EOU
rally for a 4-3 Game 2 triumph.
Eastern, which entered the day on a seven-game win streak but had
lost nine of the last 10 softball encounters with its sister school,
collected eight of the team’s 17 hits along with six runs (three
earned) against Raider ace pitcher Miranda Gillaspie, who lasted
only two innings in Game 1.
A two-out, bases-loaded first-inning triple by senior catcher
Adrienne Fullmer began the Mountie fireworks that subsided only
after a five-run fifth inning against SOU relievers Amanda Cregan
and Megan Beugli.
Fullmer finished the contest with three hits and five RBI, while
outfielder Tonilynn Reardon went 3-for-4 and scored three times.
Junior pitcher Shannon Rasmussen, who went 3-for-4 as the leadoff
batter, improved to 14-6 on the season with a complete-game effort
despite allowing 13 Raider hits.
Gillaspie held EOU to only two hits through four frames in Game 2
and allowed Southern to stake a 4-0 edge as a result of run-scoring
singles by Megan Rock (with two out in the second), Alexis Cooper
(with two out in the third) and all-star Haley Varley (with one out
in the fourth).
Fullmer, who finished the afternoon 6-for-8,
tripled to lead off the fifth inning and later scored on a Heather
Landstrom single, and the Mountaineers pulled within 4-3 in the
seventh when Rasmussen singled in two runs with a two-out line drive
to center. Gillaspie, however, quelled the EOU comeback by striking
out Reardon on three consecutive pitches and upped her league-best
season record to 18-5.
Eastern Oregon will face Oregon Tech tomorrow for an 11 a.m.
doubleheader. |
