*Update: SOU plays No. 8 seed Madonna (Mich.) at 10 a.m. PDT Saturday.

BRACKET | TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Defense saved Southern Oregon's season Friday afternoon in the NAIA World Series. It also cost the No. 3-seeded Central Methodist (Mo.) Eagles theirs.

Sammie Pemberton's clinic at shortstop enabled the No. 10-seeded Raiders to come from behind for a 3-2 victory in their first elimination game at the South Commons Softball Complex. They took the lead courtesy of a dropped popup with two outs in the top of the sixth inning, then preserved it with more defensive heroics that left the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh.

SOU (41-18), which has won seven consecutive World Series elimination games and 11 of its last 12 dating back to 2018, plays another at 10 a.m. PDT Saturday against No. 8 seed Madonna (Mich.), which lost 3-0 to No. 1 Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) on Friday. CMU finished at 52-7.

"It doesn't feel a whole lot different than where we've been before," SOU coach Jessica Pistole said. "We locked in defensively, gave our bats time to string some runs together and somehow pulled it out. That was a gritty win."

The Raiders were in a near-immediate 2-0 hole after five straight Eagles batters got on in the first. With one out and the bases still loaded, Pemberton produced her first highlight by fielding a grounder, stepping on second base and firing to first to limit the damage.

She'd later field and throw from her knees a ball that initially bounced off pitcher Katie Machado's glove; cut down a runner attempting to score from third on a grounder that she fielded in the hole during the fourth; and flip to second baseman Brooke Nordahl to start another inning-ending double play with two Eagles on in the sixth.

Jordan Henderson supplied the Raiders' first offensive spark by turning on a letter-high fastball for her seventh home run to lead off the second inning. After Hailey Seva led off the fifth with a single and Nordahl sacrificed her into scoring position, Faith Moultrie hit a two-out bouncer up the middle that tied the score.

The decisive moment came in the sixth, which Hannah Clavelle started with a sharply-hit single to right. Her pinch-runner, Kami Klapp, went to second on Henderson's bunt and to third on Pemberton's flyout. With two down, Piper Love lofted a routine pop to second base that went in and out of Madison White's glove as Klapp trotted home.

Despite allowing 10 hits and walking four, Machado survived to complete her fifth consecutive national tournament game and notch her 26th win. The senior dealt under duress for much of the afternoon, especially when facing the top of CMU's lineup in the seventh. The first two Eagles she faced there singled before she induced back-to-back foul-outs to Pemberton.

With two down, Pemberton added her final game-saving contribution by making a diving stop of Joely Crider's hit to keep it on the infield and the tying run from scoring. The next batter, Madison Roberts, crushed a liner deep to center field that sent Sarah Kerling bouncing up on the run to haul in.

"Sammie was unbelievable," Pistole said. "The way she and (Nordahl) make superstar plays look routine is pretty special. They held us together."

The Raiders played another error-free game defensively. In 10 postseason outings, they've committed four while their opponents have totaled 21.

To capture their fourth championship in five years, they'd need six more elimination-game victories. The winner of Saturday's game will play its next at 1 p.m. PDT Monday.