ASHLAND, Ore. – The NCU softball team put the brakes on an 18-game losing streak on Friday, knocking off Southern Oregon University on the road, 9-7. It was the Beacons first win this season over an NAIA Top-25 ranked team.
 
GAME ONE
 
The Beacons were aggressive from the very first batter of the game, loading the bases before Ereanna Higbee was hit by a pitch to score Caitlyn Messman for the first run. That at-bat ran starting pitcher Gabby Sandoval from the game after retiring just one batter.
 
NCU added two more runs in the second on a two-run dinger from Paige Griffith and Higbee scored in the third inning on an RBI double from Alyssa Gayle, making it 4-0.
 
The Raiders rallied, scoring four runs in the bottom of the third to tie the game but the Beacons responded with one of their best innings of the season in the top of the fifth.
 
With one out, Avery Daniels hit a single up the middle. Higbee (pictured) collected her second RBI of the game with a double to right center and she moved to third after a single by Gayle. Maya Jenkins came in to pinch run for Gayle and the freshman initiated a perfect double-steal, taking second base as Higbee came in to score from third.
 
The Beacons weren't done, however. The next three NCU batters all hit safely, and when the inning ended, five runs had scored on six hits and the visitors held a commanding 9-4 lead.
 
Southern Oregon put two runs back on the board in the bottom of the fifth and added one more in the seventh, but starting pitcher Katie Walker got the job done, closing out the complete game victory with a pop-up.
 
The Beacons finished the game with 14 hits while SOU collected 15.
 
GAME TWO
 
The Raiders, now riding a five-game losing streak of their own, was able to get off the schneid in the second game, winning 10-2 in six innings. Walker (3-13) again took the circle for the Beacons and worked into the sixth inning allowing just four earned runs, but three NCU errors allowed Southern Oregon to pull out the run-rule win.
 
The Beacons had just two hits in the game, both from Higbee who put down a two-RBI single in the first inning to score NCU's only runs.
 
Weather permitting, NCU will be back in action with two more games against Southern Oregon on Friday, beginning at 1:00 pm. Game one will be a conference-counting contest while game two will be a non-conference game.