ASHLAND – A Cascade Conference regular-season title is well within reach, and the Southern Oregon University softball team continued to play like it while closing out a four-game series sweep of No. 23 College of Idaho on Friday at University Field.

The top-ranked Raiders won 5-2 in the third and final CCC counter of the set and 8-5 in the non-conference finale, boosting their record to 42-4 overall and 22-2 in the circuit. They outscored the Yotes (25-13, 14-10) 31-12 combined in the series with some of their most well-rounded play to date, and Ayla Davies strengthened her NAIA Pitcher of the Year campaign by collecting all four wins and going to 26-2.

SOU completes the regular season next week at second-place Eastern Oregon, which enters its series this weekend at eighth-place Bushnell with an 18-3 CCC record. If EOU sweeps the Beacons to remain one game back, the Raiders would need to win one of three conference counters next week to earn a share of the title and two of three to win it outright and earn hosting rights for the CCC Tournament.

The Raiders last won the conference regular-season championship in 2021.

They improved their odds of capturing another considerably in Friday's opener, taking the lead for good on Brooke Nordahl's first home run of the season – a towering two-run shot that stayed just inside the left-field foul pole in the second inning. Vanessa Lang's triple and Sammie Pemberton's groundout drove in two more runs in the third, and it was 5-0 by the time the Yotes got their first hit against Davies in the fifth.

Davies gave up four hits, had nine strikeouts – getting the side in the first inning for the second day in a row – and didn't walk a batter in her 21st complete game. She returned to pitch the final two innings of Game 2 without allowing a baserunner.

The score was tied 5-5 when she entered in the finale, and the Raiders went ahead with three runs in the sixth. Kennedy Kila followed Kailer Fulton's leadoff walk with a single before Hailey Seva hit a fly ball to center field that C of I lost in the sun. It dropped for a hit, allowing Fulton to trot home for the go-ahead run, and three batters later Avery Coffin was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Aubree Muxen capped the rally with a sacrifice fly.

Fulton went 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored in the game. Kila added two hits and a walk; Faith Moultrie went 2-for-4 with an RBI double; and Sarah Kerling and Kierstin Grotewiel supplied two more hits each.

Madelyn Powell went 2-for-3 with a triple in the first game and Audrey Sweet was 3-for-4 with a double, three runs scored and an RBI in the second for the Yotes.

The Raiders improved to 19-3 at home. They're 19-0 in road games entering their trip to La Grande.