FULLERTON – Emma McCraw and Breanna Lucero hit home runs and Kaitlyn Maaske tossed her fourth complete game in as many starts, as No. 21 Hope International earned a doubleheader split with top-ranked Southern Oregon on Saturday at Bastanchury Park.
The Royals were shutout 3-0 in game one, but rallied back from a three-run deficit to win 5-3 in game two.
McCraw and Lucero blasted their first home runs of the season, as the Royals improved to 6-2 under first-year head coach Gabriela Sandoval, a two-time national champion and former All-America pitcher for the Raiders.
Vivian Little went 3-for-6 in the doubleheader.
Game 1 – No. 1 Southern Oregon 3, No. 21 Hope International 0
Ayla Davies hurled a complete game three-hit shutout, limiting the Royals to a first inning double and two sixth inning singles.
She walked one and struck out four on 77 pitches.
Little led off the first with a double down the left field line. Lily Hernandez sacrificed Little to third, but Davies got the next two Royals to ground out and pop out.
Natalie Corrales reached third base in the third following a walk, a sacrifice and wild pitch, but Davies wiggled out of trouble.
Little retired eight of the first nine Southern Oregon hitters, but the Raiders pieced together four consecutive singles in the third to take a 1-0 lead. Brooke Nordahl laced an RBI single scoring Kalea Thomas for a 1-0 lead. The Royals avoided any further damage when Gabriela Holmes nailed Vanessa Lang at home plate as she attempted to score from second on an Ari Williams single.
Davies set down eight straight HIU hitters until Little led off the sixth with a single. Chey Navarro also singled to put a pair of runners on base, but Davies got a pop out to end the inning.
The Raiders added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh on a Lang single and Nordahl double.
Little surrendered 10 hits and three runs in her complete game effort.
Game 2 – No. 21 Hope International 5, No. 1 Southern Oregon 3
The Royals trailed 3-0 as the Raiders notched a run in the first and two more in the third off Maaske.
Southern Oregon pitcher Lexi Ramirez retired nine of the first 10 Royals, but McCraw and Navarro reached in the fourth on consecutive singles. With two outs, Lucero unloaded a towering shot to left field for the three-run homer as HIU forged a 3-3 tie.
The Raiders looked like they might retake the lead in the fifth, loading the bases via a single, walk and error. But Maaske got Elysia Duarte to fly out to keep the score level.
McCraw put the Royals ahead 4-3 as she led off the sixth with a solo blast over the left field wall off SOU reliever Thomara Drummer.Â
Navarro drew a walk and advanced two bases on a wild pitch. Lucero drove her in with a run-scoring single.
Maaske set down seven of the final eight Raiders for the complete game performance, allowing eight hits and three runs while walking two and striking out five.
Drummer took the loss as she yielded the go-ahead runs in the sixth.
HIU heads to Glendale, Ariz. next week to play six games in three days. The Royals open up with an 11:00 a.m. doubleheader on Friday against College of Idaho.
