PENSACOLA, Fla. –  The University of Tampa softball team advanced to the NCAA South Regional final after defeating (#4) No. 18 Valdosta State and the top seed, (#1) No. 2 West Florida. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP (Game One):

Final: (#5) Tampa 1 (W: Makaleigh Dooley, 27-7), (#4) No. 18 Valdosta State (L: Caylie Van Auken, 16-6) (FINAL/9 Innings)
Records: University of Tampa Spartans (33-11), Valdosta State University Blazers (35-17)
Location: UWF Softball Complex || Pensacola, Fla. 
All-Time Series: The Blazers lead the series 32-9; however, the Spartans are on a two-game winning streak. 
Follow Us: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube. Additionally, @Tampa_Softball on Twitter, and Instagram for social media content and scoring updates.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

TOP 9th: To lead off the inning, Maddie Farrell logged her second double of the afternoon. Emalee Jansen provided a quality at-bat and moved Farrell to third with a ground-ball to the right side. With two outs, Bailey Phillips laced an RBI double to right-centerfield with an inside-out swing to give UT a one-run lead in extra innings. 

BOT 9th: After a 15-hour delay (overnight), the Spartans handled business in just four minutes. Dooley struck out the side, totaling 11 strikeouts in the contest. 

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Dooley went a complete game for the 28th time in 32 starts; the senior went the full nine innings and struck out 11 batters. 
• In two key moments, the right-hander struck-out the side in the 7th and 9th inning.
• Farrell logged two doubles in a game for the first time this season. 
• The Blazers left 10 runners on base throughout the game. 

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Dooley has totaled 10-plus strikeouts in eight games this season. 
• It was the 10th shutout of the year for Dooley.
• Farrell has reached base safely in the last 26 games.
• The game was delayed overnight because of weather conditions. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP (Game Two):

Final: (#5) Tampa 1 (W: Makaleigh Dooley 28-7), (#1) No. 2 West Florida 0 (FINAL/8 Innings)
Records: University of Tampa Spartans (34-11), West Florida University Argonauts (48-9)
Location: UWF Softball Complex || Pensacola, Fla.
All-Time Series: UT leads 11-9 and the Spartans have taken the last four meetings. 
Follow Us: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube. Additionally, @Tampa_Softball on Twitter, and Instagram for social media content and scoring updates.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

BOT 8th: Bailey Phillips led off the inning with a base-knock to left field and Breanna Taphouse pinch-ran for Phillips. Dooley laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Taphouse into scoring position. Another sacrifice bunt by Stephanie Balmer allowed Taphouse to advance to third base. With two outs, Lexie Chevalier hit a cue shot in the infield and beat the throw to send UT to the NCAA South Regional final. 

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Dooley went a complete game for the 29th time in 32 starts; tying her personal record which she set last season. 
• Phillips collected two of Tampa’s four hits, and represented the go-ahead run. 

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The Spartans earned a berth in the NCAA South Regional final, first pitch is scheduled for tomorrow, May 11, 2:00pm (EST) / 1:00pm (CST). 
• Farrell‘s 26-game on-base streak came to an end. 
• It was the first time this season that the Spartans have played in back-to-back extra inning games. 
• UT owns an 11-1 record in one-run games. 
• Tampa has a 6-2 record against ranked opponents. 

UP NEXT: The University of Tampa will advance to the NCAA South Regional final tomorrow afternoon, 2:00pm (EST) / 1:00pm (CST), and the opponent is TBD. If the Spartans were to drop the contest, the opponent would have to defeat UT again at 4:30pm (EST) / 3:30pm (CST).

Follow: Live stream and live stats are available at GoArgos.com/Live.

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