SHAWNEE, Okla. – The NAIA Softball World Series is still three months away, but at a tournament billed as an early preview of sorts, No. 4-ranked Southern Oregon stole all the buzz on Saturday.

The Raiders jumped to 4-0 at the NAIA SB Invitational, 11-0 on the season, and positioned themselves to move up the polls with three high-quality wins at FireLake Ball Fields: 7-2 over Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.), 2-0 over No. 2 Science & Arts (Okla.), and 8-6 over No. 3 Cumberlands (Ky.).

Freshman pitcher Ayla Davies, after throwing a five-inning no-hitter against No. 17 Hope International (Calif.) on Friday, remained the weekend's major story with three more wins in the circle – her sixth, seventh and eighth in a row to start the season. She worked 19 of SOU's 21 defensive innings and allowed just three runs, the highlight of her afternoon a one-hitter against Science & Arts.

Faith Moultrie starred at the plate with seven hits in eight at-bats, while Piper Love and Aril Williams blasted their first home runs of the year while combining for nine RBIs.

SOU completes its stay in Oklahoma at 7:45 a.m. Sunday against Campbellsville (Ky.). A brief rundown of Friday's action follows:

GAME 1 – SOU 7, FREED-HARDEMAN 2
Williams, who went 5-for-10 on the day, hit a two-run shot in the first inning and an RBI single in the fifth. SOU's lead was 6-0 when Davies departed after posting five shutout frames. She struck out four and allowed three hits before giving way to Mayze Menefee. Hailey Seva tacked on a run-scoring double in the sixth, and Vanessa Lang went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs.

GAME 2 – SOU 2, SCIENCE & ARTS 0
Davies got the best of a pitchers' duel with three-time All-American Sophie Williams with maybe her best outing yet. The one-hitter was her fifth complete-game shutout of the season, and she came within five outs of a no-hitter while striking out seven without issuing a walk. The Raiders got to Williams for their only runs in the first inning when Lang led off with a double, Faith Moultrie hit an RBI double, and Williams followed with a run-scoring single.

GAME 3 – SOU 8, CUMBERLANDS 6
Love lifted the Raiders with a three-hit, five-RBI effort in the finale, including a three-run home run that gave them a 5-3 lead in the third inning. Maliyah Wilkings tied the score at 6-6 with her own three-run shot in the third, but SOU untied it in the sixth on a first-and-third steal play that led to an error and Brooke Nordahl's go-ahead trot home. Love provided insurance in the sixth with an RBI single up the middle.

Davies didn't start in the circle, but her respite was short-lived. She entered after the Patriots' first three batters reached and scored, and wound up recording all 21 outs for SOU. The relief stint, which included eight strikeouts, left her miniscule ERA at 0.57. Moultrie helped her out with three hits and two runs scored, while Nordahl doubled twice.