WICHITA FALLS, Texas - Amanda Potysman has played numerous roles during her four-year career at Midwestern State.

But in the postseason, just call her clutch.

The senior utility player launched her ninth homer of the season in the sixth inning to put a 6-1 win over Texas A&M International on ice in the opening round of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional No. 1 Friday afternoon at Mustangs Park.

"When she get into these streaks, she's hard to beat," MSU coach Brady Tigert said. "We were in control going into the inning, but that really put them away."

The Mustangs improved to 48-10 on the season and advance to face Emporia State in the winner's bracket final Saturday at 11 a.m., while Dustdevils (32-28) square with Angelo State in an elimination game at 1:30 p.m.

The Hornets defeated the Rambelles 1-0 later Friday afternoon.

Potysman nearly played hero in the super regional round last season when clubbed homers on three consecutive swings as the Mustangs fell one win shy of their first World Series berth. The Grapevine native is turning up her game this postseason with two-or-more hits in three of her last four games.

But Texas A&M International didn't look like a No. 8 making its first postseason appearance from the outset.

The aggressive Dustdevils drew first blood in the first inning as Samantha Garcia reached on a single up the middle and came around to score on Samantha Carillo's chopper through the left side of the infield to give TAMIU a 1-0 lead.

The Mustangs responded with runs in the first and second innings fueled by RBI singles by Brittney Tanner and Courtney Bingham. MSU clung to a 2-1 lead when Tanner came on in relief of Kristina Gutierrez who allowed one run on three hits with two strikeouts and a walk in three innings.

Then it was lights out for Texas A&M International.

Tanner struck out 10 of the 13 batters she faced while allowing only a two-out single to Garcia in the fifth inning to improve to 28-6 on the season.

"She showed up mentally all week and worked hard," Tigert said. "She knew where she needed to be and she got the job done."

MSU would tack on two more in the fifth inning on Kim Jerrick's two-run double to the right-field gap before Potysman put the game away with a two-run bomb in the sixth.

Notables

• Midwestern State has opened their last four NCAA Division II South Central Regionals with victories and is now 7-12 all time in postseason play.
• The Mustangs have now won 102 games over the past two seasons - the most of any NCAA school regardless of classification.
• Midwestern State senior Brittney Tanner became the first pitcher program history to notch 300 strikeouts in a season and now has 301 this season. Tanner needs one more win to match former MSU standout Brittany Willson for the most wins in a single season. Willson was 29-10 in 2006.
• Mustangs' center fielder Elena Bennett delivered her 29th multiple-hit game of the season by going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. It was her ninth game with at least three hits. She now has scored 55 runs this season and stands two behind Lindsey Voigt's school record of 57 runs in 2008. Bennett now has 86 hits this season and needs eight more to pass former Angelo State standout Alexis Wing for most safeties in a single season in Lone Star Conference history. Wing had 93 hits in 2003.
• Midwestern State senior Amanda Potysman became the sixth player in program history to slug 20 career home runs joining teammates Mallory Mooney and Alyson Reynolds. Of her 20 homers, seven of those have come in postseason play.