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NCAA softball: Washington into super regionals; Four other Pac-12 teams win

May 17, 2014

Three days into the NCAA softball tournament and five Pac-12 teams have yet to lose. The Washington Huskies advanced to the super regional round on Saturday, while the other four participants won their way to their regional championship games.

Washington

No. 12 seed Washington vs. Northwestern

The Washington Huskies not only completed their sweep of the Seattle regional field with a 9-0 win against Northwestern on Saturday, but did so without allowing a single run to cross the plate in three games. Hooch Fagaly led the Huskies with four RBI on Saturday and pitcher Kaitlin Inglesby went the entire five innings before the game was called due to the run rule. UW advances to the super regional to face the winner of Florida and UCF.

Arizona State

No. 9 seed Arizona State vs. Michigan

ASU pitcher Dallas Escobedo settled down after the Michigan Wolverines plated a run in the top of the first frame, and the Sun Devils used a big fourth inning to win 4-1.  Escobedo struck out seven batters in a complete game, and Chelsea Gonzalez's timely three-run homer in the fourth to follow up ASU's first score off an error was enough for the Sun Devils to win. Arizona State advances to the regional championship game on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. PT, and it faces the winner of Michigan and San Diego State/Dartmouth.

[Related: 2014 NCAA softball bracket (NCAA.com)]

UCLA

No. 3 seed UCLA vs. Notre Dame

A five-run third inning by the UCLA Bruins separated them from Notre Dame in their second regional game, but a strong pitching display all afternoon was behind a 7-0 victory. Pitcher Ally Carda led the way for five innings and gave up three hits before Jessica Hall came in to relieve her in the final two frames. Hall also led the Bruins with a grand slam that accounted for all but one of UCLA's runs in the third. UCLA started the scoring with a solo homer by Gabrielle Maurice in the second inning, and it added the seventh run off an error in the sixth inning. On Sunday, the Bruins play at noon PT against the winner of Notre Dame and Long Beach State.

Oregon

No. 1 seed Oregon vs. Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Badgers took Oregon into the sixth inning with the score tied at one run apiece, but that's when the Ducks' bats began to get hot in their second NCAA regional game. Janie Takeda hit a two-run double to get things going. Then an illegal pitch added another run before a homer by Janelle Lindvall gave Oregon a 6-1 lead that would hold up for win. Ducks pitcher Cheridan Hawkins struck out 11 on the day, and the win pushed her team to the championship game Sunday at 1 p.m. PT. They will face the winner of Wisconsin and Albany.

[Related: How to watch Oregon in the NCAA softball regionals on Pac-12 Networks]

Arizona

No. 11 seed Arizona vs. LSU

So far, the Arizona Wildcats have fought fire with fire. Mike Candrea's team slipped past the LSU Tigers 9-8 to advance to the regional championship game against the Saturday night winner of LSU and the winner of Louisville/Boston University. Arizona jumped out to a four-run lead after second-inning homers by Hallie Wilson – a three-run, inside-the-park shot – and Kelsey Rodriguez. But the Tigers responded in the third to tie the game. Wilson then drilled her second three-run homer in the fifth inning, and the Wildcats added two more scores to take a 9-4 lead. LSU, however, put a scare into Arizona by scoring a run in the sixth and three more in the top of the seventh before the 'Cats got their final outs on a double play.