CALDWELL, Idaho - RV College of Idaho opened its weekend series with a statement Friday afternoon, rallying for a 3-2 upset of No. 1 Southern Oregon before the Raiders responded with a 5-1 victory to split a Cascade Conference doubleheader at Symms Field.
The Yotes (12-8, 1-4 CCC) stunned the top-ranked Raiders in the opener, erasing an early deficit with a dramatic sixth-inning swing from Hallie Campbell that proved to be the difference.
Trailing 2-0 entering the bottom of the sixth, College of Idaho broke through when Kina Watts singled and Alyssa Melendez worked a walk to put two runners aboard. After a sacrifice moved both into scoring position, Campbell launched a three-run home run to give the Yotes their first lead of the day at 3-2.
Drew Williams made the lead stand in the circle, tossing a complete game and holding Southern Oregon to two runs on five hits while striking out three. The Raiders had jumped ahead with a pair of runs in the first inning, but Williams settled in and kept the NAIA's No. 1 team off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
Campbell finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs to lead the Yotes' offense, which produced four hits in the victory.
Southern Oregon (17-7, 2-3 CCC) answered in the nightcap, using a four-run second inning to take control on its way to a 5-1 win.
The Raiders strung together three hits and drew three walks in the second inning to build the early cushion, highlighted by a two-run single from Vanessa Lang. Southern Oregon added another run in the third to extend the lead to 5-0.
College of Idaho broke through in the third inning when Marti Anderson singled and eventually came home on an RBI single from Kamryn Ham. The Yotes collected six hits in the game, including two from Watts, but were unable to mount a larger comeback against Raider pitcher Lexi Ramirez, who struck out six in a complete-game effort.
Grace Neer provided solid relief for the Yotes, allowing just one unearned run across 4 1/3 innings after entering in the second.
The teams will return to Symms Field on Saturday to conclude the Cascade Conference series, with College of Idaho looking to secure the series win. The two programs will also meet in an additional nonconference game following the conference finale.
