EMPORIA, Kan. -- Leslie Svoboda and Brianna Cataudella belted home runs to back the four-hit pitching of Melissa Negrete as the University of Nebraska at Omaha remained alive in the NCAA Division II North Central Regional with an 8-1 win over Northwest Missouri State Friday night.

The Mavericks, now 44-12, will face Minnesota State, Mankato at 12:15 p.m. Saturday at Trusler Sports Complex.

In the first game Friday, Emporia State's Samantha Sheeley struck out 10 and blanked the Mavs with a six-hitter, 1-0. UNO stranded nine runners in the game, overshadowing a stellar pitching performance by freshman Beth Haley, who struck out three and walked none.

ESU's Miranda Campbell doubled to open the second, moved to third on a sacrifice and scored on Shelbe Hughes' single in the hole to left.

The Mavericks threatened in the bottom of the seventh when Alison Jergenson was hit by a pitch and Ashley Lynch followed with a one-out single. But Shelley struck out pinch-hitter Alli Hukill and retired Leslie Svoboda with pop up to the shortstop.

In the second game, Jenifer McDowell drove in Svoboda with a first-inning double before the Mavericks broke the game open in the second with six hits and five runs. Cataudella started the inning off with a solo homer, Ashley Lynch laced an RBI single and Svoboda slammed her 10th home run of the season over the center field wall.

Saturday's first game will the two remaining unbeaten teams, Emporia State and Winona State, at 10 a.m. The winner of the UNO-MSU game will play the loser of the first game at 2:30 p.m.

Emporia State............010 000 0 -- 1 7 0
Nebraskia-Omaha....000 000 0 -- 0 6 0
WP - Samantha Sheeley, 26-6
LP - Beth Haley, 20-7
2b - ESU, Campbell; UNO, Svoboda

Northwest Missouri State....000 100 0 -- 1 4 2
Nebraska-Omaha.................151 010 x --  8 9 0
WP - Melissa Negrete, 14-3
LP - Cola Krueger, 13-10
2b - UNO, Lynch, McDowell, Slocum
HR - UNO, Cataudella (8), Svoboda (10)