A shutout victory in the first game. A walkoff, two-run homer to win the second. Another strong pitching performance in a third game.

Basha's Kailey Regester continued having an outstanding experience in the 5A-i state softball tournament Friday night, pitching and jump-starting the Bears to a 6-2 win over Salpointe in the winner's bracket of Pool B at Rose Mofford Softball Complex.

Basha needs just one more win to advance to the 5A-I championship game. The Bears have a bye until Wednesday when either Salpointe, Gilbert or Hamilton will have to beat them twice to take away a title-game appearance.

Kailey Regester outdueled Salpointe ace Gabi Ruiz, who had hurled two shutouts in the Lancers first two tourney wins over Xavier and Gilbert. Kailey Regester allowed six hits, no walks and fanned seven. She lost her shutout with two outs in the seventh after an RBI groundout by the Lancers Kayla Laguna.

Ruiz pitched well again, fanning 11 and walking two. But Ruiz was betrayed a bit by defense and in a three-run third when she gave up three extra base hits. The first was a triple by Kailey Regester that drove in the game's first run. Elaina Wusstig and Kailey's cousin, Lauren Regester, each had an RBI double in the frame.

Basha added single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth to give Kailey Regester plenty of breathing room.

"We made some adjustments after the first time around,"Basha coach Scott Hoffmeyer said. "We played well in all phases.  It was a solid game."

Neither Kailey Regester or Ruiz were a factor pitching back in late February and early March when the teams hooked up for a preseason tournament game and a power-point game. Salpointe won both of those, 7-5 and 7-2.

In the winner's bracket game of Pool A that started on Friday night late and ended early Saturday morning, Mesa Mountain View continued its late-season surge by outslugging defending state champ Red Mountain, 14-8. Like Basha, Mountain View had played Red Mountain twice during the season and lost both times.

Mountain View, which scored just nine runs in the two prior meetings with Red Mountain, launched three homers -- two by Kelli Wickerman (both two-run clouts) and a three-run blast from Annie Dyer.

Mountain View draws a bye until Wednesday and can reach the state softball final for the first time in school history if it wins one more game against either Red Mountain, Casa Grande or Mountain Ridge.