Raiders swept double-header Saturday, bouncing Providence 8-0 and 9-1
Ari Williams’ offensive outburst was the story in the second half of Southern Oregon’s four-game sweep against Providence (Mont.) at University Field.
The top-ranked Raiders (25-1 overall, 9-0 Cascade Conference) matched the best start in team history with Saturday’s 8-0 and 9-1 victories, finishing off both in five innings. Williams, a junior right fielder, went 6-for-6 with seven RBIs, a double, a triple and an inside-the-park home run during the doubleheader.
The Raiders triggered the eight-run rule in all four games during the set, and they’ve done so nine times during their active 14-game winning streak.
They’ve now allowed just two earned runs in their last eight outings after two more stingy starts by Ayla Davies and Mayze Menefee.
Davies completed her second shutout in as many days in Game 1, tossing a two-hitter after giving up one hit on Friday. The freshman has gone four consecutive starts — a span of 24 innings — without yielding an earned run, bringing her record to 15-1 and her minuscule ERA to 0.66.
Menefee went four strong frames to earn a Game 2 decision that made her 5-0. She gave up four hits and a run before Katie Fodge came on to pitch a perfect fifth.
Sarah Kerling went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs in the opener, which was the third and final CCC counter of the series. Williams had three hits and Faith Moultrie added two with two runs scored.
Williams’ inside-the-parker — a stinger through the left side skipped through the infield and all the way to the fence — plated three and capped a six-run fourth inning in the finale. She’d hit an RBI triple earlier in the contest to score Kailer Fulton, who was 2-for-3 with a couple stolen bases.
Katie Yeoman gave the Argos (6-13, 3-9) their lone run with an RBI double and went 2-for-3 in Game 2.
The Raiders are home again Wednesday for a long-awaited doubleheader with No. 2-ranked Oregon Tech. It starts at 2 p.m.
This story first appeared on the Southern Oregon University Sports Information website, souraiders.com.
