ATHENS, GA - Georgia Southern senior Gina Sterchi (Chattanooga, Tenn.) hit a two-out single in the top of the eighth inning to propel the Eagles past Coastal Carolina 2-1 Saturday afternoon at the NCAA Athens Softball Regional.

GSU (35-34) will now prepare for a rematch with No. 11 seed Georgia in an elimination game beginning shortly after 5 p.m. The winner will face Florida State in the championship round.

Georgia Southern starter Melissa Laliberte (Cobourg, Ontario, Canada) escaped from a bases-loaded jam in the bottom half of the final inning, retiring Glynn Tolleson on a pop-up to end the game.

In the decisive final inning, senior Shanita Black (Fayetteville, N.C.) reached on an infield single and moved to third on a sacrifice and a fly ball. Sterchi laced a 1-1 pitch to left field, putting the Eagles on top for the second time.

An error, single and walk loaded the bases for Coastal Carolina, but Laliberte’s 142nd pitch was easily put away by sophomore Aubrey Thweatt (Georgia, Vt.) for the final out.

The Eagles failed to capitalize on numerous scoring opportunities early on, stranding a runner in scoring position in each of the first four innings.

Coastal Carolina threatened in the fifth, loading the bases with two outs on a walk and two singles, but Laliberte squashed the rally by striking out Meagen Johnson with a high fastball.

The shutout was finally ended in GSU’s half of the sixth. Junior Aurora Johnson (Macon, Ga.) led off the inning with a single and pinch runner Ashley Bluestein (Brunswick, Ga.) went to third on two wild pitches. Christine Doyle looked to get out of trouble on a groundout and a strikeout, but senior Sam Steiner (Loxley, Ala.) hit a single up the middle, her third of the day to plate Bluestein.

The Lady Chanticleers wasted little time in tying the score at 1-1. Ashley Gerdts started the sixth frame with a double, but two outs later, was standing at third. A groundball by Allison Cantrell was mishandled by the GSU shortstop, extending the inning allowing Gerdts to score.