Raiders’ Game 1 victory seals best start in team history at 26-1, ends 8-game regular-season losing streak against Owls

ASHLAND — The marquee Cascade Conference series between top-ranked Southern Oregon and No. 2 Oregon Tech won’t be decided until next week after the teams split their first two matchups Wednesday at University Field.

Star freshman Ayla Davies outdueled All-American Kacie Schmidt in SOU’s 2-1 Game 1 victory, but Schmidt returned to pick up the save in Game 2 after the Owls peppered four Raider pitchers with 15 hits to win 7-2.

SOU (26-2, 10-1 CCC) and OIT (20-4, 8-3) will play the final two games of the series next Wednesday in Ashland, starting at 2 p.m.

Davies, who improved to 16-1, held the Owls hitless in nine at-bats with runners in scoring position in the opener. She didn’t allow an earned run, but neither did Schmidt until Sarah Kerling drove in Christina Tadvick with a single up the middle to break a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning.

The Owls threatened in each of their last two at-bats. Zoe Allen led off the top of the seventh with a double, but, after she moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, Davies induced a groundout to shortstop Sammie Pemberton and a popup on the infield to put them away.

Davies and Schmidt surrendered five hits apiece. Allen had two for the Owls and Kila Kennedy’s two led to both of SOU’s runs.

OIT’s bats got going in Game 2 behind Addison Kachnik, who went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and four RBIs. Puakea Milbourne was 4-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored, and Nita Cook went 3-for-4 with an RBI at the top of the lineup.

Kachnik’s two-run double broke a scoreless tie in the second inning, and the Owls added two more in the third to make it 4-0.

Their arms did the rest. Starting pitcher Carli Moore (6-1) earned the decision by getting them through four innings while giving up just one run on five hits. Schmidt handled the final three frames after going the distance in the opener.

Kailer Fulton, Piper Love and Ari Williams logged two hits apiece for the Raiders. Fulton and Brooke Nordahl drove in their only runs.

The Raiders’ Game 1 victory gave them their best start in team history at 26-1 and it ended an eight-game regular-season losing streak against OIT. The Game 2 loss ended their overall winning streak at 15 games.