NAIA OPENING ROUND – SOUTHERN OREGON BRACKET
Monday's Results
Game 1 – (2) Hope International (Calif.) 5, (3) Taylor (Ind.) 0
Game 2 – (1) Southern Oregon 5, (4) Marymount (Calif.) 0

Tuesday's Games
Game 3 - Southern Oregon vs. Hope International, 11 a.m.
Game 4 - Taylor vs. Marymount, 1:30 p.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 5 - G3 Loser vs. G4 Winner, 4 p.m. (loser eliminated)

Wednesday's Games
Game 6 - G3 Winner vs. G5 Winner, 11 a.m. (championship)
Game 7 - If necessary, 1:30 p.m.

MEDFORD – The Marymount (Calif.) lineup turned out to be more annoying than effective against Southern Oregon ace Gabby Sandoval in the Raiders' first game of the NAIA Opening Round on Monday at U.S. Cellular Community Park.

Sandoval needed 127 pitches to finish off the California Pacific Conference champions but saw through her 14th shutout nonetheless, as the top-seeded and fourth-ranked Raiders started their trek through the Southern Oregon Bracket with a 5-0 victory.

Sandoval yielded four hits, struck out eight and walked two in her 31st victory, helping the Raiders go to 46-7 and move within potentially two wins of a third straight appearance in the NAIA World Series. They moved on to play at 11 a.m. Tuesday against 11th-ranked and second-seeded Hope International (Calif.), which defeated Taylor (Ind.) 5-0 in Monday's other Southern Oregon Bracket contest. The SOU-Hope winner will need to win just one of two games in Wednesday's championship round of the double-elimination tournament for the title.

Sandoval labored through the first two innings, racking up 51 pitches, but by then was already sitting on a 3-0 lead. The Raiders knocked out Marymount starter DeAndria Lockett – the Cal Pac Pitcher of the Year – before she could get out of the first. After an Allie Stines leadoff walk and Hannah Shimek's bunt single, Lauren Quirke cleared the bases with an opposite-field triple and Olivia Mackey later forced in a third run with a bases-loaded walk.

SOU's bats went quiet against Mariners reliever Taylor Roberts until the fifth, when Mackey poked a two-run single up the middle after Paige Leeper and Taelor Mayben set the table with hits.

Sandoval, meanwhile, recorded 13 consecutive outs following Madison Loui's double that led off the second inning. She's given up four or fewer hits in 21 of 29 starts this season and lowered her postseason ERA to 0.43 through four complete games.

Allie Stines went 2-for-3 with her team-record 25th double and a walk. Quirke's team-high RBI total shot to 57, and Mackey's to 22.

Marymount will play an elimination game at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday against Taylor. The winner of that contest will play another elimination game at 4 p.m. against the SOU-Hope loser.