By Jim Fenton, The Enterprise (Brockton)

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team is just one win away from reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division 3 tournament.

The Bears are sitting in the driver's seat at their four-team, double-elimination regional as the only undefeated team heading into the championship round this afternoon.

Fourth-seeded BSU moved into that position on Saturday by outlasting third-seeded Saint Joseph's of Maine, 5-2, in nine innings for its second win in as many days.

The Bears will meet top-seed and host Wellesley College today at noon with a win sending them to a best-of-three Super Regional series later this week while a loss would force a second winner-take-all game at 2:30 p.m.

"I am just speechless, honestly,'' said first-year coach Chrissy Semler, whose team has five freshmen in the starting lineup. "I'm rarely a person who is at a loss for words, but this is just an amazing feeling.

"I rarely take an opportunity to let things sink in. I'm always planning for what's next rather than focusing on the moment. Honestly, this is just a nice moment right now.''

BSU (31-12) fell behind the Monks, 2-0, in the bottom of the first when winning pitcher Amber White of Middleboro had a rare down inning. The Bears eventually tied the game in the fifth inning on a two-run home run by freshman Kelly McCarthy, her second in as many games.

In the second extra inning, BSU got an RBI double from freshman Courtney Leddy and a two-run single by Jill Welch to secure the victory.

Instead of reacting like a team loaded with young players, BSU stayed focused on the job at hand after falling into that early hole against Saint Joseph's (34-5).

"The atmosphere was up,'' said Welch, who had three hits. "Everyone was cheering the whole time. There was never a doubt about us winning that game.''

Said Semler: "I think (the freshmen) don't realize how young they are. One thing we've always focused on is we don't separate people based on being a freshman or sophomore. We don't like to talk about it.

"They don't play like they're freshman. They play like seasoned veterans. It's almost like they don't know they should be nervous.''

White (24-3, 0.49 earned run average) overcame the tough first inning to dominate Saint Joseph's, which didn't get a ball out of the infield after that opening frame. She allowed six hits and struck out five, keeping hitters off balance.

The Monks got an RBI double from Lindsay Moore and a run-scoring single from Theresa Hendrix in the first, but had only four base runners the rest of the way.

"My spins were a little too far over the plate in the first inning and I was a little tight from (Friday),'' said White of her start. "But the energy of the team, just the whole atmosphere, picked me back up and I was ready after that.

"I was a little mad at the first inning. I was determined to stop it.''

McCarthy, who opened the scoring in Friday's win over Wellesley with a solo homer in the fifth, hit another round-tripper in the fifth against the Monks. Her shot over the fence in left-center tied the game after freshman Samantha LoPilato led with a single.

The Bears won the game against reliever Danielle Egan in the ninth as LoPilato walked and pinch runner Breanna Shaffer advanced on a wild pitch. Shaffer then beat the throw and advanced to third on a grounder hit to the shortstop hole by McCarthy.

Leddy followed with a liner over the head of the left fielder for a double and Welch delivered the two insurance runs with a blooper behind second base.

"We've been coming together all season long,'' said Semler. "The energy level has just been phenomenal. The defense has been solid right behind Amber, and Amber's been doing a great job.

"We've believed in them from the start. From the day we selected our team and we saw what we had, we were like, 'Wow, we have a lot of talent on this team.' ''

Now, with just one more victory, the Bears will be among the final 16 teams standing in the nation.