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Arizona’s standout fifth-year senior delivered from the circle and the plate Thursday as No. 2 seed UA rallied from a three-run deficit to defeat UCF 4-3 in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Softball Championship at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

Netz pitched 5â…” innings of one-run ball out of the bullpen to earn her 21st victory of the season. She also went 2 for 3 at the plate, including a two-RBI single in the fifth inning that put the Wildcats ahead to stay.

Arizona (44-10) advances to Friday’s semifinals to face No. 3 seed Iowa State, which defeated No. 6 BYU 4-2 later Thursday. The Wildcats and Cyclones did not face each other during the regular season. The other semifinal matchup pits top seed Texas Tech vs. No. 5 seed Arizona State.

UCF (33-22-1) was better than its No. 7 seed in the tournament suggested. The Knights entered Thursday’s game with an RPI of 30, fourth best in the Big 12. They also handed the Wildcats one of only two series losses this season, taking two of three in Tucson in early March. Arizona’s only other series defeat came against regular-season league champion Texas Tech.

The game turned in the bottom of the fifth, when Arizona scored three runs to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead. Dakota Kennedy drove in the first run via a sacrifice fly. Netz put the Wildcats ahead with a sharp single to right, scoring pinch runner Kiki Escobar and Regan Shockey, who had reached base via a check-swing single.

UCF threatened in the top of the seventh, as Izzy Mertes led off with a single to center. With one out, pinch runner Alexis Morgan tried to advance on a pitch in the dirt. UA catcher Sydney Stewart fired a strike to shortstop Tayler Biehl to retire Morgan. Biehl then fielded a grounder in the hole to end the game.

Arizona elected to start Miranda Stoddard in the circle, and it looked like the right move when she posted a 1-2-3 first inning. But UCF jumped on Stoddard in the top of the second, lacing three straight singles to start the inning and give the Knights a 1-0 lead. Another run came home on a fielder’s choice. Biehl tried to throw out Mertes at the plate, but Mertes beat the tag.

Arizona swapped Stoddard for Netz at that point, and she was able to end the scoring threat via a 6-4-3 double play.

UCF expanded its lead to 3-0 when Aubrey Evans led off the top of the third with a solo home run on an 0-2 pitch.

The UA offense — statistically the best in the Big 12 — struggled initially against UCF redshirt freshman Isabella Vega, recording just one hit through three innings. The Wildcats began chipping away in the fourth. Slap hitter Shockey turned on a 2-1 pitch, drilling it into the right field corner for a triple. Shockey scored on an error to make it 3-1.

Netz allowed only three baserunners in her relief stint and had retired six batters in a row before Mertes’ single in the seventh.