SALEM, Va. - Kris Lesovsky hit a two-run double in the fourth inning and Camille Gaito earned another victory in the circle as the 16th-ranked UC San Diego softball team rallied to defeat No. 14 Minnesota State-Mankato, 4-2, on day two of the NCAA Division II National Championship Finals Friday morning at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex.

The Mavericks took a 2-0 lead in the third inning, but the Tritons answered with four runs in the fourth and Gaito held MSU without a run the rest of the way.

UCSD (43-13), which has now gone 2-0 in two games in Salem, advances to the Bracket 1 final on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. PST. The Tritons are a perfect 7-0 in NCAA Tournament and have won eight of their last nine games overall.

Minnesota State-Mankato (54-15), the Central Region champion, will face either Indiana (Pa.) or Midwestern State in an elimination game on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

"That was another great win for us today," head coach Patti Gerckens said. "[Minnesota State] really made it tough on us and we had to come from behind. I thought they played a great game. I'm really proud of my team for playing the way they did and coming through with four runs in the fourth like they did."

After keeping C.W. Post off of the scoreboard in a 7-0 victory to open the tournament on Thursday, UCSD found itself in an early hole Friday as MSU scored a pair of runs in the top of the third inning. Amanda Umhoefer reached on an infield single to lead off the frame, stole second and then came home a single up the middle by Lauryn Morris.

Lesovsky had a great read on the ball and made an excellent throw home, but Umhoefer just beat the tag from Triton catcher Caitlin Brown and the Mavericks handed the Tritons' their first deficit of the finals. Morris scored later in the inning on a RBI fielder's choice by Julie O'Neal to give MSU a two-run edge.

The lead would not last long however, as UCSD came right back with four runs in the top of the fourth. Jennifer De Fazio got the rally started with a towering double to right center and Esther Strom drew a two-out walk three batters later.

Gerckens then elected to bring Jennifer Manuel on as a pinch hitter and the moved paid off as the freshman roped a two-run single to shallow right on the first pitch she saw, tying the game at two runs apiece.

The next batter was Lesovsky, who smacked a double off the wall in right center field to bring home two more runs and give the Tritons a 4-2 advantage.

"I was trying not to think about a lot out there today," Lesovsky said when asked about the decisive at-bat. "We were just trying to stay relaxed and not overdo it and I saw the ball well and put it in a good spot."

The cushion would prove to be more than enough for Gaito, who gave up five hits in the final four innings but did not allow a run. The junior right-hander tossed her second complete game in as many days and seventh overall in the NCAA Tournament, scattering 10 hits, while striking out three and walking one.

While Gaito (33-4) wasn't nearly as dominant as she was in a two-hit shutout of C.W. Post on Thursday, the end result was the same as UCSD prevailed and she collected her seventh consecutive win.

The only Triton to throw a pitch so far in the NCAA Tournament, Gaito was pleased with the results through two games in Salem.

"It feels good to be performing like this and helping my team win," she said. "I'm not surprised that I'm throwing well and I was expecting to play every game so it was just a matter of going out there and getting it done."

The Mavericks loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Gaito got O'Neal to ground into a fielder's choice and Lindsay Erickson to pop up to short to end game.

Starter Kendra Huettl (29-9) took the loss for MSU after surrendering four runs on four hits in three and two-thirds innings. Courtney McKelvogue came on in relief in the fourth inning and limited the Tritons to just two hits over the final three and a third.

UCSD will now have Saturday off to prepare for Sunday's national semifinal matchup against either North Georgia or the winner of Saturday's elimination contest between C.W. Post and Saginaw Valley State.

"We're excited to have a day off tomorrow," Gerckens said. "We're going to take a day to prepare and then we're going to come back on Sunday and play our game."