Game 2: (14) Arizona 1, Saint Francis 0
Box Score (PDF) | Arizona Press Conference | Saint Francis Press Conference | Photo Gallery

TUCSON—Host Arizona and Saint Francis engaged in a pitching duel, but one of UA's slim collection of hits was a bomb by Jessie Harper to lift the Wildcats (41-14) to a 1-0 victory in Game 2 of the NCAA Softball Championships Regional here at Hillenbrand Stadium.
 
Taylor McQuillin (26-10) earned the victory, allowing four hits, striking out eight, walking four and posting her 14^th shutout. Abby Trahan (28-12) took a tough loss, holding Arizona to two hits in pitching her 29^th complete game. 
 
Arizona moves into the winner's bracket game against North Dakota State at 2 p.m. Saturday  (G3). The winner of that game moves into Sunday's championship round while the loser plays later at 7 p.m. in the second elimination game (G5).
 
Saint Francis (39-18) will play in G4 at 4:30 p.m. Saturday against Mississippi State, with the loser eliminated.
 
Neither team could get its offense going through the first half of the game, with Saint Francis pitcher Trahan limiting UA to one hit through three innings, a single by Alyssa Palomino, and UA's McQuillin holding SFU to a pair of hits through four frames, singles by Jordan Seneca and Hayley Jordan.
 
But, with one out in the bottom of the fourth, Arizona sophomore shortstop Harper slugged her 18^th home run of the year to post the first and only run on the scoreboard.
 
In the top of the fifth, with two outs, McQuillin walked Cheyenne McKee and Hayley Norton to put the tying run in scoring position. But she struck out Madison Cabell, her sixth, to halt the threat.
 
Sierra McKee led off the Red Flash sixth with a single, but McQuillin struck out Seneca and got Taylor Hoover to line to second, with Reyna Carranco turning the double play on McKee.

Game Notes

• Arizona won their eighth-straight NCAA Regional game tonight. The Cats have also won 12 of their last 13 games overall.
   
• The Wildcats have won at least one game in each of its last 31 NCAA Tournaments.
   
• Jessie Harper hit her first-career postseason dinger in the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot to left field to give Arizona a 1-0 lead, which would prove to be the game-winner.
   
• Tonight was the 19th time in Arizona history that the Cats have shut out the opponent in the first game of the regional.
   
• Arizona and Saint Francis combined to hit 0-14 with runners on base.

Game 1: North Dakota State 5, Mississippi State 4
Box Score (PDF) | Mississippi State Press Conference | North Dakota State Press Conference

TUCSON--North Dakota State (34-17) outlasted Mississippi State, 5-4, in the opener of the NCAA Softball Championships here at Arizona's Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium Friday night.

Winning pitcher Jacquelyn Sertic simply endured, scattering nine hits, walking five and striking out one in improving to 26-9. Holly Ward (15-9) took the loss for the Bulldogs (36-22).

The Bison will move to a winner's bracket game (G3) at 2 p.m. Saturday against either host Arizona or Saint Francis, while MSU drops to a following elimination game (G4) at 4:30 p.m.

The Bison struck first in the top of the first with an unearned run. Bre Beatty reached on a two-out error, then Vanessa Anderson clubbed NDSU's first triple of the year to make it 1-0.

With one out in the bottom half, the Bulldogs loaded the bases on successive singles by Mia Davidson, Kat Moore and Sarai Niu. Morgan Bell lifted a fairly deep fly ball to right for a possible sacrifice, and MSU sent the runner, but fielder Stephanie Soriano gunned down Davidson at the plate for the double play.

In the third. MSU put it together and took a 2-1 lead. Davidson walked, Kat Moore doubled them both into scoring position, and then an RBI single from Sarai Niu and a sacrifice fly by Reggie Harrison brought in the lead run.

It was short-lived. Anderson added her team-high eighth home run with one out in the fourth to knot the score, 2-2. Toby Heinz singled, Montana DeCamp reached on an error by second baseman Calyn Adams, both runners moved up on a wild pitch from Holly Ward, and Julia Luciano singled them in to extend it to 4-2.

Jacquelyn Sertic pitched out of a jam in the MSU fourth. A hit batter, infield single and intentional walk loaded the bases with two outs, and Sertic got a first-pitch flyout to end the threat.

The Bison chased Ward in the fifth, getting two one-out singles. Reliever Cassady Knudsen got a fly ball from Anderson and struck out Tabby Heinz to end the rally.

North Dakota State turned its second double play in the fifth, with a hard liner catching Bell off the bag at first. For an answer Knudsen, in the top of the sixth, struck out the side.

MSU took advantage of a Sertic miscue to narrow the gap with an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth. Adams drew a walk, and Sertic threw a grounder back to the circle past the baseman at second on a potential double play. A popup made it two outs, but Mia Davidson singled in Adams to make it 4-3.

Aggressive base running in the seventh put two Bison in scoring position with a walk and an infield single. Katie Shoulz drew the walk, then on a single that pitcher Knudsen couldn't beat the runner at first, Shoulz kept going and a late throw to third let hitter Zoe Stavrou reach second. A single to left drove in Shoulz to make it 5-3. Knudsen struck out Bre Beatty but walked Anderson to load the bases. A popout and her sixth struck out stranded three.

Niu drew a walk to open the MSU seventh, and after a fly ball, pinch runner Candace Denis scored on a gap single by Reggie Harrison, who stayed a first. A fielder's choice put Carmen Carter aboard, but Sertic got a fly ball to right to end the game.

Game Notes

• Vanessa Anderson triple that was knocked off the right-center wall is the first three-bagger for the Bison this season. She finished the game a single and a double short of the cycle after homering in the top of the fourth.
   
• For the second year in a row, North Dakota State started off their regional with a win. Last year, the Bison knocked off Oklahoma 3-2 in nine innings.
   
• NDSU pitcher Jacquelyn Sertic tossed her 30th complete game of the season.