It certainly was not easy.
 
But behind seven innings of standout game two relief pitching by Zoey Hughes, Lower Columbia outlasted Southwestern Oregon 6-5 in 12 innings on Tuesday, to remain undefeated at 37-0 on the season.
 
The LCC all-time record for consecutive wins is 38, set by the 2002 team.
 
In Tuesday's first game, the Red Devils used a 12-run 4^th inning to break open a tie game and cruise to a 15-3, five-inning mercy rule win.
 
Gabi Silveria started the big rally in the first game with a three-run triple and later in the same inning, hit a grand slam. The Woodland, WA freshman has tallied 16 RBI in the last four games.
 
The Red Devils host Grays Harbor on Friday at 3:00 pm on Sophomore Day. LCC can clinch the NWAC South Region regular season title with one win in the final six games. And, of course, that 23-year old winning streak record will also be on the line.
 
TUESDAY'S RECAP
 
Game one: Lower Columbia 15, Southwestern Oregon 3 (five innings) – While Silveria was the hitting star, Cerenity Fake was steady in the circle.
 
Facing a Laker team averaging 13 runs a game, Fake held them to a mere three runs. She struck out five while walking five and allowing just four hits.
 
In the 12-run 4^th inning explosion, LCC sent 15 hitters to the plate. Silveria's base clearing triple made the score 4-1, followed by a two-run HR from Brooklyn Loose and a solo shot from Hailey Brooks.
 
Ava Eib and Rylee Brown later added RBI singles, then Silveria came up again and launched her grand slam. LCC added two more runs in the 5^th inning on Loose's second HR of the game, a Brooks triple and a Joelie Eder RBI ground out.  Loose, Silveria and Allison Baumgart all had three hits.
 
Game two: Lower Columbia 6, Southwestern Oregon 5 (12 innings) – The Red Devils fell behind the Lakers 4-1 in the 4^th inning, but battled back to tie it and get to extra innings. And what a fight it was in the extra frames.
 
Ava Eib started and pitched well through five innings for LCC. Hughes came on in the 6^th and would proceed to allow just one run on three hits over the final seven innings. The Battle Ground righty walked none and struck out 11 to earn the win.
 
Silveria tripled in the 8^th inning and was plated by a Lexi Grumbois RBI single to give the Devils a 5-4 lead. SWOC followed with a solo HR in the bottom half to tie it.
 
After a scoreless 9^th, the NCAA tie breaker (runner at 2B) started in the 10^th. LCC finally broke through in the 12^th when Eder bunted Brooks to third base, and she later scored on a wild pitch.
 
With a 6-5 lead, Hughes closed the door quickly with two pop outs and swinging K to end it emphatically.
 
Grumbois had four hits, and Baumgart and Dani Ambriz each had two hits.
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