The Florida State softball team survived and advanced in the opening weekend regional round of the NCAA tournament. The Seminoles defeated Robert Morris, South Florida and Auburn at JoAnne Graf Field to advance to the Super Regionals, where they will host Texas Tech.

After breezing through Robert Morris and South Florida, both of which were run-rule victories for FSU, Auburn awaited them in the championship game for the right to move on to the Super Regional. All the ’Noles had to do was beat Auburn one out of two games, but that was easier said than done.

In another oppressively hot day in Tallahassee on Sunday, the Tigers surprised the Seminoles by cruising to an 8-3 victory in the first game.

With elimination on the line, Florida State rose up in the second game and defeated the War Eagles 4-0 behind senior Michaela Edenfield’s grit and solid pitching by sophomore Ashtyn Danley.

“Really proud of the fight of our team,” FSU coach Lonni Alameda said. “The Auburn team, I mean they’ve had a great season, we played them in the fall and they’re a different team right now and it’s really cool to see the growth of our game sometimes when you’re competing with someone like that.”

The first game started great for the Seminoles, as sophomore shortstop Isa Torres blasted the second pitch of the game over the left-center-field wall to give FSU an early 1-0 lead. The Seminoles went with senior Julia Apsel to start in the circle, and all was going well until the fourth inning when things began to unravel. Apsel gave up a solo home run and an RBI double before getting out of the inning. The senior was cruising for the first three innings but the fourth inning was enough for coach Alameda to make a change going into the fifth inning.

Alameda went with senior Annabelle Widra, who has been a solid and versatile player for the Seminoles. Widra struggled, giving up a three-run home run to senior Anna Wohlers and a solo home run to senior Rose Roach, ballooning Auburn's lead to 7-1 before Widra was pulled quickly in favor of sophomore Mimi Gooden. This proved to be Florida State's undoing and they were never able to recover. The Seminoles would lose 8-3, but Alameda stayed calm and reminded her team of the task that lies ahead in the next game against the Tigers.

“We’re winning it,” Alameda told her team. “Be present, lay it all out there and we’re winning it.”

Danley got the start for FSU in the second game and picked up right where she left off from the previous game against South Florida, where she pitched five shutout innings. The talented sophomore replicated her performance by pitching five shutout innings against the Tigers before handing the ball over to freshman Jazzy Francik, who finished off the Tigers with two shutout innings.

Edenfield got the scoring going in the first inning when she blasted a two-run home run to give the Seminoles an early 2-0 lead.

The game was cruising along with nothing really happening as far as the scoreboard. In the fourth inning, however, JoAnne Graf Field came alive when the Seminoles turned what looked to be a double play, but sophomore first baseman Angelee Bueno saw senior Amelia Lech rounding third and headed for home. Bueno delivered a strike to home plate where Edenfield delivered the tag to Lech, who was out by a mile in what ended up being a 4-6-3-2 triple play.

Florida State kept its 2-0 lead over Auburn heading into the bottom of the fifth inning looking for some insurance runs. Freshman Shelby McKenzie delivered when her team needed her, as she hit a solo home run to push the lead to 3-0. The Seminoles would tack on another run in the sixth inning when freshman Addie DeLong ripped a double to score the pinch running Widra to make the score 4-0.

FSU would hang on for the victory in what ended up being an exciting conclusion to the opening regional round of the NCAA tournament.

The No. 5 Seminoles will now await for the Red Raiders to arrive in Tallahassee for the right to go to Oklahoma City and the Women’s College World Series.

Game 1 of the best-of-three series will be Thursday at 7 p.m. (ESPN2) at JoAnne Graf Field.