Beth Pahl/The Siskiyou
Freshman Bailey Price led SOU in RBIs (24) and walks (15) in 2007.

After starting the season 0-12, Southern Oregon softball (14-28, 9-11) became a squad to be feared by season’s end. This progress was apparent than when No. 23 Oregon Tech (32-10-1, 12-8) visited Ashland on Saturday and narrowly escaped with a split of the double-header.

Junior Alicia Caudill pitched a gem in game one, allowing no runs on two hits through the first five innings. Caudill earned her fifth victory of the season as the Raiders won, 4-3.

The Raiders took advantage of the hurler’s efficiency and managed a two-run lead after one inning. Freshman Bailey Price singled in the inning to bring home senior Katie Lee and senior Natalie Nielsen reached base on an error with two outs to plate freshman Karla Alvarez.

SOU threatened to blow the game open in the third when the bases were chock full of Raiders with one out. Caudill hit a line drive straight to the shortstop who made the catch and a quick throw to third, catching Alvarez a bit too far off the bag and abruptly ending the inning.

The Raiders kept swinging the bats and added to their lead in the fifth inning. Price sent Lee home for the second time of the game with an RBI double and Alvarez scored for the second time on a sacrifice fly by Nielsen. The Raiders had a 4-0 lead and the way Caudill was pitching, it looked to be all but over.

The Owls’ offense began to come to life in the sixth inning when Caudill issued one of her two walks and gave up a single to leave runners on the corners with two away. Caudill managed to get OIT pitcher Jenni Bittle to ground out and save the shutout. However, the Raiders were not so fortunate in the seventh inning. One out away from victory, with shutout intact, OIT rallied. Senior Kindel Thompson hit a double that scored two Owls and soon crossed the plate herself on a RBI single by senior Kelsi Haylett. Senior Brittany Shlee came to the plate next and hit a grounder to SOU senior Brin Tamblin who tagged Haylett to end the game.

Caudill ended up allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks. She struck out three in her complete-game effort. Lee and Alvarez scored all four of SOU’s runs and were driven home in by Price and Nielsen who tallied two RBIs apiece.

Game two began with each squad finding the scoreboard in the first inning. SOU pitcher Joelle Riekeman granted a leadoff walk to Shlee who would later score on a single by sophomore Bess Fagan. The Owls loaded the bases with two outs, but Riekeman got a pop-out from Kelsey Anhorn to get out of the jam.

The Raiders struck back when Lee scored after reaching base with a hit that landed at the outfield fence and netted her a double. Price brought Lee home two batters later with a single.

The score stayed tied at one until the top of the third inning when OIT struck for two runs. Fagan drew a walk and was soon brought home on a single by Anhorn. Thompson was brought home on a single by senior Holly Byerley soon after to give OIT a 3-1 lead.

Both pitchers caught fire over the next couple of innings and neither team could muster more than a single in a frame until the bottom of the fifth. The Raiders evened up the score when Riekeman made it home on an error and Tamblin scored on an Alvarez ground-out. The score stayed tied at three going into the seventh inning.

The Owls knocked Riekeman around in the top of the seventh, as the first four batters managed to get on base. Caudill took the mound for the second time of the day after OIT tallied a run, but the Owls kept on going. A double and a sacrifice fly scored two more runs and OIT took a 6-3 lead that they would hold to the end.

Riekeman and Tamblin each managed two hits in game two while Lee, Alvarez and Price drove in the runs. Riekeman allowed six runs on 13 hits in her 6.1 innings worked.

The 2007 campaign has reached its end for the Raiders, and that inevitably means having to say goodbye to some of them. Melissa Wilt, Tamblin, Lee and Nielsen ended their careers with the split and coach Kim Fritts said they will be missed next season.

“Our seniors’ bats proved themselves this year and they did a really good job for us,” said Fritts. “To lose that leadership, that experience, that might hurt us a little bit. It’s really just taking control of this team and getting us focused. That’s something that will be missed.”

The young squad improved by leaps and bounds over the course of the season and look like a force to be reckoned with in the future.

“We had a really great season,” said Fritts. “I’m proud of my team. They’ve worked hard. We played really well and I think people are afraid to play us at the end and that’s what I want to see. Fear the Raiders in the future—definitely.”