Southern Oregon 1 win from a historic NAIA softball championship run after beating Oklahoma City

Southern Oregon inched closer to NAIA history Wednesday when the Raiders beat Oklahoma City 8-0 in the softball World Series in Columbus, Ga.

Southern Oregon (54-9) plays Oklahoma City at 7 a.m. Thursday for the NAIA championship. If the Raiders win, they’ll become the first team in tournament history to lose their first game and win the title. SOU, which lost its opener to Marian (Ind.) has won six consecutive games to reach Thursday’s final.

Southern Oregon is looking to win its fourth national title in six years. The Raiders won NAIA softball championships in 2019, 2021 and 2023.

Southern Oregon has won its last three games by shutout. The Raiders haven’t given up a run in 21 innings, all led by the arm Ayla Davies. The freshman pitcher threw her third consecutive shutout, allowing four hits while striking out 10. It was the first time Oklahoma City has been shutout in 210 games.

Sarah Kerling drove in two runs with a double, while Kila Kennedy and Vanessa Lang had two hits and an RBI each to lead the Raiders’ offense against Oklahoma City (53-10).

Southern Oregon did most of its damage during a four-run first innings. Kila had a run-scoring single, then later stole home to score a run. Kerling’s two-run blow came in the sixth inning.

Nick Daschel

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ndaschel@oregonian.com

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