CHICO, Calif. - Rhiannon Ousley laid down a squeeze bunt to score Kirsten Willmon in the sixth inning for the game-winning run, as the top-seeded UC San Diego softball team edged No. 8 Central Washington, 2-1, in the First Round of the NCAA West Regional on Friday afternoon at University Softball Field.

Down 1-0 in the sixth, Sarah Woofter was hit by a pitch for the 13th time this season, sending the Triton third baseman to first with a free pass. Charly Swanberg then attempted to bunt Woofter over, but a poor hop caused CWU first baseman Liz Jusko to hesitate, allowing Swanberg to reach safely. After Willmon replaced Swanberg on first, Esther Strom placed a sacrifice bunt to the right side to move Woofter to third and Willmon to second with one out.

With the tying run 60 feet away, Jennifer De Fazio caught CWU pitcher Lauren Hadenfield (23-10) off-guard with a squeeze bunt, forcing Woofter home to make it 1-1.

"There was no way they were going to make the play on us," said Woofter. "They had no idea it was coming."

If the Wildcats didn't see the first squeeze coming, they definitely didn't think it would happen twice in a row. With runners on first and third with one-out, once again UCSD head coach Patti Gerckens called for a bunt, this time with Ousley at the plate.

Ousley, who earlier made a diving catch in right field with a CWU runner on second to get UCSD out of the third unscathed, laid down a textbook suicide squeeze to the feet of Hadenfield. Willmon broke hard from third base, sliding safely under the tag of Elena Carter at home plate.

"[CWU] had trouble defending bunts today," said Gerckens. "We just weren't getting the adjustments at the plate that we needed right away, but that's why you've got to go to other ways to manufacture runs."

When CWU's Kelsey Haupert connected with a leadoff homerun in the fourth, things looked dire for UCSD, who managed to secure just a pair of hits after failing to score with the bases loaded and no out in the first inning. However, Triton ace Camille Gaito (27-4) retired the next 12 batters she faced, not allowing a base runner the rest of the way. Gaito finished her 24th complete game of 2011, giving up just three hits and striking out eight Wildcats in the process.

Taylor Sepulveda was the lone Triton to record a multiple-hit game, reaching safely on bunt singles in the first and third innings, respectively. She also stole her team-leading 14th base of the season in the first.

UCSD improves to 37-13 overall and will face CCAA-foe No. 4 Chico State at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. CSUC defeated No. 5 Western Washington (36-15), 3-1, on Friday afternoon. The winner of UCSD-CSUC will advance to play in Sunday's championship game, with the loser moving into an elimination game with the winner of CWU-WWU on Saturday night.

Chico State and UCSD have not met in 2011, but the Tritons are 27-16 all-time against CSUC. Chico defeated UCSD, 4-0, in the only NCAA postseason game between the two teams on May 10, 2002.