REDDING, Calif. -- After spotting #4-seed La Sierra a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first inning, Simpson responded with five unanswered runs to support Hailee Nichols in the circle and defeat the Golden Eagles, 5-2, in the opening game of the 2017 Cal Pac Softball Championships at Simpson Softball Field.

LSU's Brittany Martinez opened the scoring with a two-run home run in the first, but that is all Nichols and the top-seeded Red Hawks allowed on the day.

Simpson tied the score in the second on RBI singles from Missy Silveira and Amanda Laughlin. In the third, the Red Hawks took control for good on a run-scoring base hit from Jessica Dager, who then scored on Jaycie Bruno's double to the right-centerfield gap. Laughlin's sacrifice fly in the fourth added the final insurance run for Simpson.

The win is the 11th straight for the Red Hawks and moves the No. 17 team in the country to 41-8 on the season. Simpson will face the winner of #2-seed Marymount and #3-seed Benedictine-Mesa in the semifinals on Friday at 12:00 p.m.

La Sierra falls to the elimination bracket and will face the Marymount / Benedictine loser at 3:00 p.m. later today (Thursday).