Raiders Open World Series Run with Win, Weather Delay
Southern Oregon beat Cumberlands 4-2 in its NAIA opener and will wait until Sunday for its next game after severe weather reshuffled the tournament schedule in Georgia.
COLUMBUS, Ga. – Southern Oregon’s latest run at an NAIA softball national championship is underway, even if the weather has already made the road through Georgia a little less predictable.
The No. 3-seeded Raiders opened the NAIA Softball World Series with a 4-2 win over No. 6 Cumberlands on Thursday at the South Commons Complex, extending the country’s longest active winning streak to 16 games and keeping SOU on the winner’s side of the 10-team, double-elimination bracket.
Southern Oregon, now 45-13 overall, is chasing its fifth national title since 2019. The Raiders have won NAIA championships in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025, and entered this year’s final site with more recent World Series experience than any other team in the field.
Unlike last year, when SOU dropped its opener and had to win seven straight elimination games to claim the title, the Raiders gave themselves a cleaner start this time.
SOU scored all four of its runs in the second inning against Cumberlands pitcher Jessica Cord. Avery Coffin opened the inning with a hit, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and passed ball, then scored when Gia Almont put the ball in play and Cumberlands was unable to record an out at first.
Kalea Thomas followed later in the inning with a single up the middle that turned into two runs after the ball got away in center field, allowing SOU to take control. Vanessa Lang then drove in Thomas on a grounder to shortstop, putting the Raiders ahead 4-1.
That was enough for sophomore pitcher Ayla Davies, the reigning World Series MVP, who worked a four-hit complete game. Davies allowed a leadoff home run to Cumberlands catcher Grace Ross and hit the next batter she faced, but settled in from there and did not allow another earned run.
The complete game was unusual by Davies’ standards because it came without a strikeout, but Cumberlands struggled to square up her rise ball. Seventeen of the 21 outs she recorded came in the air, and only eight of those reached SOU’s outfielders.
Cumberlands added its second run in the third inning after a pair of SOU defensive miscues, but the Patriots stranded two runners in scoring position in that frame and had limited chances the rest of the way.
Davies improved to 27 wins on the season and has now allowed two or fewer runs in 12 straight starts. Over her last 14 appearances, she has recorded 13 wins and one save.
Thomas and Coffin each finished with two hits for the Raiders. Thomas, SOU’s redshirt-freshman leadoff hitter, extended her hitting streak to 16 games and has recorded multiple hits in all eight of the Raiders’ postseason games.
Southern Oregon’s next game has already been shifted multiple times due to severe weather around the South Commons Complex. The Raiders were originally scheduled to play Saturday afternoon, but tournament officials altered the schedule after lightning and rain disrupted Friday’s slate.
SOU is now scheduled to play at 11:30 a.m. PT Sunday against either No. 2 Southeastern of Florida or No. 7 College of Idaho. If the Raiders win, they will move on to play Monday at 4 p.m. PT for a spot in Wednesday’s final round. If they lose, they will face an elimination game Monday at 10 a.m. PT.
The weather remains a major storyline for the rest of the tournament, with continued thunderstorm chances in the Columbus area. The NAIA Softball World Series is scheduled to continue through Wednesday.
Video highlights from Southern Oregon’s opening win over Cumberlands are available through the tournament broadcast coverage.
Cover image: Southern Oregon’s Kalea Thomas reacts after reaching first base during the Raiders’ NAIA Softball World Series opener against Cumberlands in Columbus, Georgia. SOU won 4-2 to advance on the winner’s side of the bracket. Photo by Matthew Hicks, MSH Visual and SOU Sports Information.
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