NAIA SOFTBALL WORLD SERIES
1:30 p.m. PDT Saturday – SOU vs. College of Idaho
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COLUMBUS, Georgia – A brief scare got top-ranked Southern Oregon's juices flowing early Saturday morning. The Raiders channeled them in a big inning that led to a 6-1 win over No. 9-seeded Bethany (Kan.) in their NAIA World Series opener, but will need some left in reserve for a quick turnaround.
At the South Commons Softball Complex, the Raiders (50-5) and Swedes (30-28) picked up approximately 13 hours after their matchup was postponed amid a thunderstorm in the fourth inning. Tayler Walker's solo home run had given SOU a 1-0 lead to sleep on. Minutes into the game's resumption, however, Calissa Lucer's walk, stolen base and trip home on Kayla Eggly's bloop-single tied the score in the fifth.
Five straight Raiders reached to start the bottom of the fifth and each of them scored to make a winner out of Gabby Sandoval, who picked up her 30th victory of the season in a two-hit, nine-strikeout performance in which she worked around seven walks.
SOU advanced to play at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday against 15th-ranked College of Idaho, which defeated 20th-ranked Ottawa (Kan.) in its tourney opener on Thursday. The matchup will be the first ever at the World Series to feature two Cascade Conference teams.
With No. 3-seeded Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) having already bowed out, the top three seeds remaining are all from the CCC: No. 1 SOU, No. 2 Oregon Tech and No. 4 C of I.
The unranked Swedes – who recovered from 14-game losing streak in the first half of the season – were winners of 20 of 23 entering the contest behind pitcher Samantha Quezada, who had earned four consecutive complete-game victories dating back to the NAIA Opening Round.
The Raiders finally got to her in the fifth, which started innocently with Avery Morehead-Hutsell's check-swing looper into left field. Allie Stines followed with one of her three hits, and Hannah Shimek's perfectly-placed squeeze bunt turned into a single and gave the Raiders a 2-1 lead.
Lauren Quirke then delivered the big blow: a two-run triple that bounced to the fence in right field. She scored on another squeeze from Riley Donovan, who later completed her trip around the bases via Rylan Austin's sacrifice fly.
The Raiders hit the 50-win mark for the second time in team history. Three more consecutively would give them another title and break the 2019 squad's wins record.
The SOU-C of I winner will play Oregon Tech or No. 6 seed Madonna (Mich.) at 4 p.m. PDT Monday for a spot in the championship round. The loser will play an elimination game at 10 a.m. PDT Monday against No. 5 seed Ottawa (Kan.) or No. 7 seed Mount Mercy (Iowa).