Game 3: (14) Arizona 6, North Dakota State 0
Box Score (PDF) | Arizona Press Conference | Photo Gallery

TUCSON— Arizona's Taylor McQuillin notched an NCAA-best 15^th shutout and did not allow a baserunner to reach second base with a two-hitter over North Dakota State, 6-0, and propel UA into the NCAA Softball Championships Regional final round here at Hillenbrand Stadium.
 
UA (42-14) stranded 12 baserunners but collected 10 hits and took advantage of NDSU miscues for half its runs.  Freshman Jenna Kean had a 4-for-4 day and a pair of runs scored to help the effort.
 
McQuillin improved to 27-10 on the year and struck out nine, with one walk. NDSU ace Jacquelyn Sertic (26-10) took the loss. The Bison will play the final game Saturday night (G6) against either Mississippi State or Saint Francis.
 
The Wildcats, the designated visiting team, opened the game with hits by Ashleigh Hughes and Reyna Carranco, the same total as the team had Friday night, and two outs later, Dejah Mulipola singled to left to drive in Hughes for a quick lead.
 
The Bison tagged McQuillin for their first hit in the second, a single up the middle by Montana DeCamp.
 
The Cats loaded the bases in the fourth with a walk by Malia Martinez, a bunt single by Kean and a hit-by-pitch to Hughes. Carranco made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly to right field, plating pinch runner Taryn Young. NDSU pitcher Sertic intentionally walked Alyssa Palomino to re-load the bases, a move that was justified when Sertic then struck out Jessie Harper to strand three UA runners.
 
Arizona picked up some insurance in the top of the sixth. Kean singled, and an out later stole second, then scored on an RBI single from Carranco. Palomino singled and Harper reached on an error to load the bases. Mulipola drew a walk to drive in a run and make it 4-0. Aleah Craighton hit into a force at the plate but Sertic threw a wild pitch to allow Harper to score for the Cats' fifth run.
 
North Dakota State had base runners from the second through sixth innings, but couldn't get anyone to second base. Madyson Camacho got a bunt single for the Bison's second hit in the fifth.
 
Kean, who bats in Arizona's ninth spot, doubled with one out in the seventh, her fourth hit of the game, and scored UA's final run on an infield error.

Game Notes

• After recording just two hits last night, Arizona had three base knocks in the first inning, capped by an RBI single by Mulipola.
• Taylor McQuillin tied a world, NCAA, school, NCAA Tournament and Hillenbrand Stadium record by recording three outs while making just three pitches in the bottom of the third.
• It took five pitches for McQuillin to get the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th outs of the game.
• Arizona put the leadoff batter on five times today.
• Jenna Kean had a career-high four hits today for the Wildcats.

Game 4: Mississippi State 11, Saint Francis 5
Box Score (PDF) | Saint Francis Press Conference

TUCSON—Some sixth-inning long ball – two homers and a run-scoring triple – helped Mississippi State rout Saint Francis, 11-5, to eliminate the Red Flash and stay alive in the NCAA Softball Championships Regional here at Hillenbrand Stadium.
 
MSU (37-22)  will play North Dakota State in Game 5 Saturday night for the right to play host Arizona in the final round Sunday. The Bulldogs would have to win twice Sunday. Saint Francis finished its season at 39-19.
 
The Bulldogs had a three-run home run by Sarai Niu, a run-scoring triple by Emily Heimberger and a two-run home run by Carmen Carter in the 10-batter sixth to blow the game open. In  the entire game, MSU had 17 hits.
 
The Bulldogs got a leadoff hit by Kat Moore in the top of the first and an RBI double from Niu two outs later to post the first run.
 
In the second, MSU sent seven batters to the plate and scored three more to make it 4-0, keyed by a double by Carter, an RBI triple by Bevia Robinson and RBI singles from Moore and Niu. The inning chased SFU starter Abby Trahan in favor of Adrian Smith.
 
The Bulldogs collected another run in the third on a single up the middle by Carter that scored Emily Weinberger to the lead.
 
Knudsen gave up her first hit in the third when Hayley Norton looped a soft liner into right field. The Red Flash had put two runners in scoring position with walks in the first, but Knudsen had downed seven consecutive until Norton's hit.
 
Saint Francis played some defense in the fourth to thwart any MSU action after a single and hit batter put two aboard with no outs. Third baseman Kassidy Troxell took a hard grounder from Morgan Bell, stepped on the bag and threw to first for a double play.
 
SFU cut the lead to 5-3 with a two-run triple by Taylor Hoover and and RBI single by Mikayla Bower. One of the runs was unearned after Troxell reached on an error.
 
Knudsen got into another jam when she walked three, sandwiched around outs, to load the bases in the bottom of the fifth.  The free passes proved costly when Troxell hit a two-run single to knot the score. 5-5.
 
In MSU's half of the inning, however, Niu blasted a two-out three-run home run to regain the lead and then MSU kept going.
 
Cassady Knudsen (13-9) earned the victory in five innings of pitching for MSU. Saint Francis' reliever Adrian Smith (11-7) took the loss.

Game Notes

• Mississippi State scratched 11 runs across the board, which is tied for the most they have scored in an NCAA Tournament game in school history. They also had a season-high 17 hits tonight.
• The Bulldogs had five players with at least two hits and were led by Carmen Carter who went 4-4 on the night, which is a career-high for the senior.
• MSU batted .467 (7-15) with runners in scoring position.

Game 5: Mississippi State 12, North Dakota State 0 (5 inn.)
Box Score (PDF) | Mississippi State Press Conference | North Dakota State Press Conference

TUCSON -- Mississippi State's Holly Ward spun a two-hit shutout and her teammates jumped on North Dakota State from the get-go to beat the Bison, 12-0, and earn the right to face host Arizona in the NCAA Softball Championships Regional title game on Sunday.
 
The Bulldogs rebounded from a first-round loss to the Bison on Friday and won a pair of games on Saturday. They will meet Arizona at 4 p.m. on Sunday, having to win twice to advance to Super Regional play.
 
Ward  (16-9) faced just two over the minimum in the five-inning mercy-rule victory for MSU (38-22). KK Leddy (7-8) took the loss for the Bison, who finished the year 34-19.
 
MSU sent 12 batters to the plate after two outs in the first. The station-to-station affair netted six runs, five of them unearned because of a throwing error by second baseman Zoe Stavrou. Five Bulldogs had RBI, six had hits.
 
In the second, the Bulldogs made it 8-0 with another unearned run and an RBI on a sacrifice squeeze bunt from Calyn Adams.
 
The Bulldogs added some needed insurance with a four-run fifth inning, marked by a three-run home run by Reggie Harrison. In all, MSU collected 13 hits in the game, giving them 30 in its two Saturday contests.

Game Notes

• Game five was the first run rule of the Tucson Regional.
• Mississippi State scored six runs in the first frame, the most any team has scored in one inning at the Tucson Regional.
• The Bulldogs batted .643 (9-14) with two outs.
• Mississippi State has scored double-digit runs in back-to-back games for the second time this season. They also finished with 30 hits on the night (17 in the game vs. Saint Francis).