TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and then scored the game winner on the eighth to defeat Minnesota 7-6 on Sunday night and advance the Wildcats to the NCAA softball championship super regionals.
The Wildcats (41-18) will travel to Baton Rouge, La., to play LSU in a best-of-three super regional, with the winner advancing to the Women's College World Series.
Minnesota (49-11) had defeated Arizona 5-2 earlier in the day to force the deciding game on Sunday night.
Arizona led 4-2 going into the final inning of the decisive game, but the Golden Gophers rallied for four runs -- highlighted by Taylor LeMay's three-run homer with two outs.
The Wildcats then tied it up to force extra innings. Katiyana Mauga led off with a singe, followed by Chelsea Goodacre's opposite field home run.
Minnesota put its first two batters on board in the top of the eight, but starter Trish Parks (16-6) re-entered the game and retired the next three batters.
In the bottom of the eighth, Chelsea Suitos tripled with one out and scored on a single by Kellie Fox.
"The kids made it special at the end with a great, gutsy performance," Arizona coach Mike Candrea said. "That is what the postseason is all about. As a coach you can feel good that this team has learned to compete and battle. We're excited to move on and play in Baton Rouge."
