ASHLAND – The UBC Thunderbirds couldn't stop the red-hot Southern Oregon Raiders, dropping a pair of Cascade Collegiate Conference softball games to the NAIA's third-ranked team Friday at University Field in Ashland, Ore.

The host Raiders (30-5 overall, 16-1 Cascade Collegiate Conference) triumphed 13-1 and 14-6 to extend their conference winning streak to 15 games.

The Thunderbirds (12-14, 8-9) remain in fifth place in the league standings, a game ahead of Carroll (Mont.), which holds the final CCC playoff spot.

Game 1

SOU took control of Game 1 early, scoring nine times in the home half of the first inning.

The lone run for the Thunderbirds came in the top of the fifth. Rookie shortstop Nicole Salas drove a double to left field to score catcher Jordan Britten-Yung. The previous batter Emily Chorpita broke up SOU pitcher Gabby Sandoval's no-hit bid with a single through the left side.
 

 

Game 2

The Thunderbirds took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of Game 2 on a Cassa Courtney RBI single down the right-field line, and then went ahead again in the second after Logan Bailey singled to right field to bring in Chorpita.

SOU answered with a five-run third inning to take a 6-2 advantage, but the T-Birds erased that deficit in the fourth.

Claire Eccles plated Chorpita with an RBI single to left field to start the rally. Eccles came home later in the inning on a Courtney single to the pitcher. The next batter Sierra Sherritt then drove in Avery Hilpert and Mia Valcke with a single to right field that chased SOU's starting pitcher Lauren Quirke.

The Raiders regrouped to re-take the lead with a pair of runs in bottom of the fourth, before adding six more in the fifth and sixth.

Courtney and Sherritt drove in two runs apiece, while Eccles, Courtney, and Chorpita had a pair of hits each.

Allie Stines became the first Raider to ever hit four doubles in one contest, and finished the day with five. She went 5-for-7 with five RBI and four runs scored on the day and broke another program mark in bringing her season doubles total to 17.

The teams will play another doubleheader Saturday, starting at 11 a.m.