SOU off to a good start at the NAIA Championships
INDIANAPOLIS – Katie Machado ensured a single small-ball run was all it took for No. 17 Southern Oregon to launch a successful start to its title defense Monday afternoon in the Indianapolis Bracket of the NAIA Championships Opening Round.
SOU held on for a 1-0 win against No. 24 Middle Georgia State behind Machado’s fifth shutout of the season, which she wrapped up by stranding two Knights in scoring position in the top of the seventh inning at Marian Softball Diamond.
The Raiders (38-17), seeded No. 2 in the five-team, double-elimination bracket, are potentially two wins away from a return trip to the NAIA World Series. They moved on to play at 8 a.m. PDT Wednesday against the winner of Tuesday’s game between top seed Marian (Ind.) and No. 5 seed Rio Grande (Ohio).
They left four runners on base through the first three innings before scratching across the lone run in the fourth. After Hailey Seva singled sharply and Brooke Nordahl was hit by a pitch with two outs, Sarah Kerling put down a well-placed bunt. As she beat out the throw to first base, Seva came all the way home from second and slid head-first under the tag.
The No. 3-seeded Knights (33-15) had multiple runners on in three of their last four at-bats and couldn’t cash in against Machado. They were on second and third with one out in the sixth following Taylor Layne’s double but stayed put on back-to-back groundouts to shortstop Sammie Pemberton. A walk and a softly-hit single set them up with one out in the seventh, but Machado got Summer Lawrence to ground out before catching pinch-hitter Sarah Latham looking at strike three to end the game.
Machado allowed five hits, walked two and struck out five, upping her record to 23-5. The senior right-hander has pitched 14 2/3 consecutive scoreless Opening Round innings going back to last season.
The Raiders have won nine consecutive national tournament games dating back to last year’s championship run. In the last six of them, they’ve given up two runs total.
MGSU’s Beth Eddins limited their offense to six hits in her complete game. Two of them went to Hannah Clavelle, who doubled and walked to reach base in all three plate appearances.
SOU and MGSU combined to go 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Neither team committed an error, though. The Raiders have tallied just two errors in their last seven games.
NAIA CHAMPIONSHIPS OPENING ROUND
Indianapolis, Ind. | All times Pacific
MONDAY’S GAMES
Game 1 | (5) Rio Grande (Ohio) 5, (4) Aquinas (Mich.) 2
Game 2 | (2) Southern Oregon 1, (3) Middle Georgia State 0
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Game 3 | 8 a.m. – (1) Marian (Ind.) vs. Rio Grande
Game 4 | 10:30 a.m. – Aquinas vs. Middle Georgia State (loser eliminated)
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Game 5 | 8 a.m. – Southern Oregon vs. Game 3 winner
Game 6 | 10:30 a.m. – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner (loser eliminated)
Game 7 | 1 p.m. – Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 winner (loser eliminated)
THURSDAY’S GAME(S)
Game 8 | 8 a.m. – Game 5 winner vs. Game 7 winner (championship round)
Game 9 | If necessary, 30 minutes after conclusion of Game 8
For more on Southern Oregon University Raider athletics, go to souraiders.com. Email Ashland.news at news@ashland.news.
