Day one of the NCAA Division II Softball Championhip saw four No. 1 seeds -- including defending national champion North Dakota State and last year's runner-up Kennesaw State -- suffer losses during the first day of regional competition.

In the North Central Region, after a first-round win over No. 4 seed Truman State, North Dakota State fell 5-0 to No. 2 Nebraska-Omaha.

In the South Atlantic Region, No. 1 Kennesaw State was stunned by No. 4 Carson-Newman in the first-round. Kennesaw State withstood a late rally to defeat No. 3 Coker 3-2 and stay alive for Day 2. No. 2 North Florida has outscored its first two opponents by a combined 15-2.

The biggest surprise may have come from the South Central Region, where both No. 1 Southern Colorado and No. 2 Mesa State lost their first-round games. The two teams were scheduled to play an elimination game Friday evening. No. 3 Eastern New Mexico defeated Mesa State 3-2, while No. 4 St. Mary's (Texas) routed Southern Colorado 8-0. Mesa State nipped Southern Colorado 1-0 in an elimination game, making Southern Colorado the first No. 1 seed to be eliminated from the tournament.

In the West Region, No. 2 Humboldt State is one win away from returning to the site of its national championship as the Lumberjacks defeated No. 1 seed and defending West Region champion UC Davis 3-2. Humboldt State won the 1999 Division II Softball national championship in Salem, Va., site of this year's championship.

Play in the South Region went into the early morning hours due to rain. The first game of the evening session did not begin until 8:50 p.m., more than two hours after the scheduled starting time. No. 4 Lynn eliminated No. 2 Tampa 9-0. Play didn't conclude until 1:15 a.m. when No. 1 Alabama-Huntsville defeated No. 3 West Florida 2-1 in eight innings.

In the Mid-Atlantic Region, No. 1 Bloomsburg defeated No. 3 Indiana (PA) to move within one game of a repeat trip to the national finals.

The Great Lakes Region saw defending regional champion and top-seeded Lewis win its first two games and also move within a game of returning to nationals. Lewis will face either No. 2 Grand Valley State or No. 3 Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, which pounded out 16 hits in an 8-0 victory over No. 4 West Virginia Wesleyan.

In the Northeast Region, No. 2 Dowling earned a second round victory over three-time defending regional champion and top-seeded Merrimack. Dowling will face either Merrimack or American International in the championship game. American International eliminated Queens (N.Y.) Friday afternoon.

For more information, go to the NCAA Softball web site.