BRACKET | TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
COLUMBUS, Ga. – The No. 2-seeded Southeastern (Fla.) Fire handed No. 3 seed Southern Oregon its first loss in 41 days and put the Raiders in the elimination bracket of the NAIA Softball World Series with a 5-2 victory on Monday afternoon at the South Commons Complex.
SOU (45-14 overall) had won 16 consecutive games entering the matchup and will need to win five in a row to defend its national title. The first is scheduled for 5 p.m. PT Monday against No. 8 seed Indiana Wesleyan.
Junior pitcher Maria Zelenka impressed in a six-hit complete game for the Fire (50-8), who advanced to play on Tuesday against top-seeded Madonna (Mich.) or No. 4 seed Mobile (Ala.) for a spot in Wednesday's championship round.
For half of a decisive inning, the Raiders looked like a team that had spent the three previous days stuck in hotel rooms. They'd defeated Cumberlands (Ky.) in their tournament opener on Thursday and were originally slated to play SEU on Saturday before the matchup was postponed back-to-back days.
The rust showed during SEU's four-run second inning, where the Fire cashed in on an error with three unearned. After a hit-by-pitch to start the frame, the Raiders threw a sacrifice bunt into the outfield. Zelenka and Chloe Baker poked RBI singles to give SEU a 2-1 lead, and with two out and the bases loaded, Hailey Bradley's blooper went in and out of second baseman
Vanessa Lang's glove as she attempted an over-the-shoulder catch. Eventually ruled a double, it allowed two more to score.
The Fire maintained a 4-1 lead after four innings when the teams endured a 105-minute rain delay.
Trailing by four entering the seventh, the Raiders threatened with back-to-back singles and got a sacrifice fly from Lang before
Ari Williams flew out to deep left to end the game.
Kalea Thomas went 2-for-4 with a run-scoring single in the top of the second. She came up in a key spot with two on and one out in the fourth and delivered the hardest-hit ball of the game – a liner into Baker's glove at third base that resulted in a double play.
The Raiders had to win seven straight elimination games at last year's tournament. Dating back to their first title in 2019, they've won 15 of their last 16 World Series elimination contests.
