ASHLAND, Ore. - The Carroll College Softball team dropped consecutive games at No. 8-ranked Southern Oregon on Friday, 3-1, 8-0 in Ashland, Ore.

The Fighting Saints (3-10-1, 0-4) again struggled to get runs across the plate in a pair of losses to the Raiders (15-4, 5-0) this afternoon.

GAME ONE:

A tightly contested opener of the four game series would fall in favor of the Raiders to start the day. Kennedy Venner (Billings, Mont. / SO) went four innings in the circle for the Saints, allowing three runs on a total of eight hits, before giving way to Abbie Amend (Spokane, Wash. / SO). A late run would prove too little for the Saints, and Carroll would drop the first of four games this weekend.

Carroll kept pace with the high-powered Raiders from a hits perspective, totaling seven hits to SOU's 10, but three runs over the first three innings would ultimately doom the Saints. The Raiders struck first, plating an RBI single in the bottom of the first. They added two more runs in the third inning on a sharp single up the left side to stretch their lead to 3-0 through three.

Kenna Thomas (Belgrade, Mont. / JR), the Saints leader in RBI's, scored one on a single in the fifth, but the effort would not be enough as the Saints would lose their third straight league game to start the year.

Carroll kept pace with a high-powered Raider lineup from a hit perspective, totaling seven hits to SOU's 10, but again struggled to get runs across home plate in the loss.

GAME TWO:

A six run second inning would spell trouble for the Saints in the afternoon game. The Raiders' big inning buried Carroll early and the Saints never could quite respond.

One of the more rare occurrences in the game opened the scoring in game two. SOU broke things wide open with an inside-the-park grand slam, clearing the bags on the way to a 4-0 lead. A two-RBI triple later in the inning would add to the lead, making things 6-0 in favor of the Raiders heading into the third.

SOU added a run on a throwing error in the third, before an RBI double in the sixth would put the cap on the run-rule victory for Southern Oregon.

Again, troubles at the plate soured the Saints' day, with the team going just 4-22 as a team in the back end of the doubleheader.

The teams will take to the diamond again tomorrow at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., with the early game counting towards league play.

Visit www.carrollathletics.com for a recap of the action and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.