Southern Oregon advanced to the NAIA national championship game Monday after the Raiders clubbed Cumberland (Ky.) 9-1 in Columbus, Ga.
Southern Oregon (49-12) beat Cumberland in a battle of the only two remaining undefeated teams in the tournament. The win places the Raiders into Wednesday’s 4 p.m. championship game, where they await the survivor of the consolation bracket.
Oregon Tech, Cumberland and Marian make up what’s left of the consolation bracket. The Owls stayed alive Monday with a 6-0 win over Midland (Neb.).
Oregon Tech plays Marian at 1 p.m. Tuesday in a loser-out game. The winner plays Cumberland later Tuesday for a berth in the championship game.
Because Southern Oregon is undefeated, the consolation bracket winner will have to defeat the Raiders twice to win the national title.
Southern Oregon has claimed two of the past three NAIA championships, winning in 2019 and 2021.
Southern Oregon only needed five innings to put away Cumberlands. The Raiders scored nine runs on nine hits during the first four innings to score a run-rule win. Pitcher Cayla Williams went the distance, scattering three hits.
SOU leadoff hitter Deja Acosta went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs to lead the offensive attack. Acosta had two doubles. Riley Donovan hit a three-run homer in the first inning to get Southern Oregon going.
Southern Oregon has dominated competition through three tournament games, outscoring Georgia Gwinnett, Oregon Tech and Cumberlands by a collective score of 24-2.
Oregon Tech (52-9) kept its title hopes alive as Maggie Buchholz hit two homers and drove in four runs in an easy win over Midland. Five of OIT’s six runs came via home run. Aside from Buchholz’s pair of two-run homers, Addison Kachnik cracked a solo home run.
Owls pitcher Kacie Schmidt improved her record to 28-1 by throwing a four-hit shutout.
If Oregon Tech wins two games Tuesday, it would mark the second time in three years that the Owls played Southern Oregon in the championship game.
–Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel
