Southern Oregon University announces SOU-OIT championship rematch set at NAIA World Series
NAIA WORLD SERIES – CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
2 p.m. PDT Wednesday – Southern Oregon vs. Oregon Tech
Game 1 Stream | Game 2 Stream | Live Stats | Bracket
COLUMBUS, Ga. – The rivalry rematch is set. Two years after squaring off in the NAIA Softball World Series championship round, No. 4 Southern Oregon and No. 1 Oregon Tech will do it again Wednesday at the South Commons Softball Complex.
First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. Pacific Time, and Game 2 will begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 1 if necessary. By virtue of getting through the winners' bracket unscathed, the Raiders (49-12 overall) will get two chances to win one game. The Owls (54-9) need both and reached the final by winning three consecutive elimination games over the last two days – defeating Midland (Neb.) (6-0), Marian (Ind.) (8-5) and Cumberlands (Ky.) (3-0) to stay alive.
As usual, the championship round will be carried live on ESPN3. A cable login is required to watch, and there are separate links for both games. Those in Ashland have a few extra viewing options: Oak Tree Northwest Bar & Grill will welcome fans 21 and over, all ages can attend RedZone Sports Bar 'N Grill, and fans are also invited to join a watch party at Raider Stadium, where the game(s) will be shown on the video board.
SOU and OIT are set to become the first teams to meet twice in the title round over a three-year period since Oklahoma City and Simon Fraser (B.C.) split their matchups in 1999 and 2001. The Raiders are 71-69 all-time against their longtime Cascade Conference rivals. Entering this season, they'd gone 25-10 against the Owls since head coach Jessica Pistole took over in 2015, but this spring was a different story leading up to the World Series. The Owls won all four matchups in the regular season, outscoring SOU 26-7 in those games, and eliminated the Raiders from the CCC Tournament with a 7-6 come-from-behind victory. The teams went head-to-head again on Saturday, when the Raiders went through three OIT pitchers with 16 hits to take a 10-0 decision that went down as the Owls' most lopsided loss in three years.
The Raiders are attempting to join Oklahoma City as the only active NAIA teams with more than two championships. They went back-to-back in 2019 and '21, while OCU celebrated its 11th title last year. (Simon Fraser won its fourth title in 2010 before leaving the NAIA.) Two wins for Oregon Tech, which raised the red banner in 2011, would make the Owls the seventh team with multiple championships, but SOU has never dropped back-to-back games in five World Series appearances.
Since losing their first game of the Opening Round, the Raiders have won seven in a row by a combined score of 65-10. In three World Series games, they've outscored opponents 24-2. Their plus-22 run differential is the best for an unbeaten team entering the final since the NAIA adopted the 10-team format at the final site in 2013.
Eleven of the last 13 champions have come out of the winners' bracket. SOU was one of the exceptions, capping a run of five consecutive elimination-game victories with back-to-back over Oregon Tech in 2021. A winner-take-all Game 2 has been forced at six of the last 10 tournaments.
2021 World Series MVP Riley Donovan, the reigning NAIA Player of the Year, returned to Columbus in prime form. Donovan homered in each of the last two games, breaking SOU's single-season records for home runs (22) and RBIs (90) for the second consecutive season in the process. In 10 career World Series outings, she's gone 15-for-25 with nine walks, four home runs and 15 RBIs. The last time she saw OIT in the championship round, she hit a go-ahead solo homer in the ninth inning after the Owls forced extras with four two-out runs in the seventh. On this season's national leaderboard, she ranks first in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage (.965) and total bases (164); second in batting average (.488); third in on-base percentage (.567); sixth in runs scored (66); and seventh in total hits (83).
Entering the final, Donovan's top competition for another MVP award is teammate Cayla Williams. The senior right-hander has pitched all 18 World Series innings for the Raiders, allowing just eight hits and two runs to bring her record to 23-5 and drop her ERA to 2.61. She'd never allowed three or fewer hits in three consecutive starts before this stretch, and her second start of the week was a three-hit shutout of Oregon Tech – the team against which she didn't record an out on May 7 in the CCC Tournament, exiting after surrendering three hits and two walks. She's been equally impressive with the bat, going 5-for-10 with a grand slam and a team-high nine RBIs at the World Series. She is expected to take the ball again Wednesday, entering the matchup with a career ERA of 5.88 over nine appearances and 25 innings against the Owls.
Sarah Kerling, the Raiders' CCC Gold Glove-winning centerfielder is 6-for-7 at the tournament and working on a seven-game postseason hitting streak from the No. 9 spot in the lineup. The sophomore went 4-for-4 the first time around against OIT, joining Lauren Quirke as the only players in team history with four-hit games at the World Series. She, Deja Acosta and Kailer Fulton have scored four runs each in Columbus. The Raiders have a .388 team batting average since the start of the Opening Round.
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