The pitching was superb, but in the end it was a home run that made the difference.
Yavapai (55-4), the No.2 seed in the NJCAA Division I Softball National Championship, slipped past Snead State (36-26), 2-0, to advance to the quarter-finals where it will meet McLennan, the No. 7-seed at approximately 4:00 p.m. Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Phoenix, the No. 2-seed in the Division II tournament had its game with 15th-seeded Delaware Tech postponed to Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. Arizona time. That tournament is being played in Oxford, Ala.
In Yuma, AZ, site of the Division I event, YC's Emily Darwin and SSCC's Madison Wright hooked up in a classic pitcher's duel. Kayla Rogers' two-run homer in the third inning allowed the Roughriders to move on.
Darwin allowed only two hits while striking out five and walking one in five innings. Emily Dix replaced her on the mound and worked two perfect frames for the save, striking out five. Wright almost matched the Yavapai duo, allowing just three hits, striking out six and walking two.
