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VALDOSTA, Ga. – Behind another impressive start from Kelsey Sweatt in the circle and some timely offense, the University of West Florida softball team knocked off a top-10 team for the second consecutive game at the NCAA South Regional on Friday afternoon. West Florida defeated No. 9 Valdosta State, the No. 2 seed in the region, 4-0 in Valdosta, earning a spot in Saturday's regional final.
 
The Argonauts will play at 1 pm ET on Saturday in the final, for a chance to go to the NCAA Championship. The team's opponent will be determined after the final game on Friday evening.
 
West Florida will need to win just one game on Saturday to advance to the NCAA Championship in Denver, while any of the team's possible three opponents will need to beat the Argonauts twice.
 
Kelsey Sweatt improved to 16-3 on the year, and she was dialed in on Friday, especially in the final four innings. Sweatt struck out five batters and allowed just one hit, scattering seven walks over her seven innings in the circle.
 
She shut down a potent Blazers offense that leads the country in home runs (98) and slugging percentage (.666), and has scored 7.6 runs per game this season.
 
It was also a monster day at the plate for Jacquelynne Poling, who went 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs, a double, and a home run. UWF broke a scoreless tie in the third, when Kayanna Perez scored on a double to left-center from Poling and gave the Argonauts a 1-0 lead.
 
Sweatt worked around three walks in the third inning to the heart of Valdosta State's order, getting a grounder to Mallory Vining with the bases loaded and one away, as Vining turned a 4-3 double play to end the frame.
 
The defense shone again in the sixth, when pinch-hitter Taylor Lewis hit a grounder to Teala Howard, who turned a 5-3 double play to end the inning. The two double plays give UWF 20 on the year, good for the fifth-most in the country.
 
West Florida stretched its lead with a run in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to give Sweatt some insurance.
 
Howard led off the fifth with a double, and back-to-back bunts from Mika Garcia and Poling brought her in to put UWF ahead 2-0, and Kayanna Perez slapped an infield single to score pinch-runner Chelsea Dumas in the sixth, after Courtney McLellan led off the inning with a double.
 
It was Poling again in the seventh, blasting her ninth home run of the season to right field to give UWF its final run of the day. Poling's homer ties her for the Gulf South Conference lead among catchers, and her nine round-trippers are the most for an Argonaut catcher since Blake Baskin hit 14 in 2000.
 
Sweatt and Grace Gilbert have been dominant this week in the circle for UWF, combining for a 0.33 ERA over 21 innings, with a .077 opponent batting average. The duo has done so against the No. 3, No. 9, and No. 21 teams in the country, according to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll.
 
West Florida is now 6-2 against Valdosta State in the postseason since 2016.