THATCHER, Ariz. – The Arizona Western Matadors Softball team were crowned Region I and West District champions on Saturday afternoon, beating College of Southern Nevada 7-4 in the Region I and West District Final at Eastern Arizona College Softball Field, earning a spot in the NJCAA DI Softball World Series for the first time since 2019.

Matadors' starting pitcher Krisilyn Corral allowed just one earned run over 6.1 innings of work to help the Matadors punch their ticket to the national tournament.

The Matadors opened the scoring in the first inning, scoring a run on a double steal as Corral crossed the plate to give the Matadors a 1-0 lead.

Nadya Moreno doubled the lead with a double to left-center field that scored Analy Trejo to push the advantage to 2-0 in the third inning.

The Matadors put three runs on the board in the fifth inning, upping their lead to 4-0 on a two-run single off the bat of Jayleen Espinoza, followed by a run-scoring single from Alissa Pinon to extend the Matadors' lead to 5-0.

After Southern Nevada scored twice in the bottom of the fifth inning, Larissa Rueda grabbed one of those runs back with a single that scored Destiny Martinez in the sixth inning. Lea Frechette bounced a single into center field in the seventh inning to score Rauni Gallegos to give the Matadors a 7-2 advantage.

Southern Nevada put the first two batters on base in the bottom of the seventh inning before Corral recorded the first out of the inning. After the Coyotes scored a run on a Matadors' error, Lili Vigil German came on in relief and allowed just one inherited runner to score, recording the final two outs to give the Matadors the win.

Corral also contributed at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a run scored, and Trejo finished the game 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Espinoza went 2-for-4 and drove in two of the Matadors' seven runs.

The Matadors will find out their seed for the NJCAA DI Softball World Series during the selection show scheduled for Tuesday, May 13. The 2025 NJCAA DI Softball World Series opens play on Monday, May 19, in Yuma, Ariz., at the Pacific Avenue Athletic Complex.