Photo by Dani Dice
The Southern Oregon softball players cheer on their team during Saturday's doubleheader.

The Southern Oregon University softball team completed a sweep of Simpson University, Tuesday at University Field in Ashland by scores of 11-6 and 10-0.

Winners of five of their last six, the Raiders improved to 7-10 overall (3-1 Cascade Conference), and hope to carry their hot streak into the weekend when they will face conference foe Northwest Christian.

“The girls have certainly come alive,” said Raiders coach Kim Fritts. “They are getting it done at the plate,” Fritts added.

In the last six games the Raiders are batting .344 as a team and have scored 41 runs while winning by an average of five runs per game.

In the first game SOU pitcher Amy Seliger allowed five earned runs on 10 hits for her first collegiate win and held off the Red Hawks long enough for the SOU bats to take care of the rest.

In the bottom of the sixth SOU scored five runs off three hits and Seliger was able to put Simpson away in the seventh for the Raiders’ first victory of the day.

“Amy did a great job,” Fritts said.

SOU senior Joelle Riekeman led the Raiders in the first game by going 3-for-4 and driving in three runs.

In the second game the Raiders jumped out on top early with nine runs off seven hits in the third inning and freshman pitching sensation Jordan Kurtz shut out the Red Hawks, allowing four hits with four strikeouts.

Sophomore outfielder Megan Laughlin went 2-for-2 is the second game with three RBIs. Laughlin led the Raiders’ third inning rally by driving in three runs with a double and a triple as the Raiders batted through the lineup.

“You just can’t ask for anything more from a kid,” Fritts said.

According to Laughlin and Riekeman, momentum is the Raiders’ key to success in the last six games. “When we don’t lose our momentum is when we start to have good innings and score a lot of runs,” Laughlin said.

Simpson fell to 19-19 after being swept by the Raiders.

Although the Raiders next adversary, Northwest Christian, sits with a lowly 1-3 Cascade Conference record the Raiders aren’t underestimating them, “We have to sweep them,” Riekeman said.

According to Fritts, it doesn’t matter who the Raiders are playing, “We just have to go out and take care of business.”