TROY, Ala. – Ninth-seeded ULM downed No. 8 seed Coastal Carolina 8-6, followed by No. 10 seed Georgia State’s 4-1 upset of No. 7 seed Georgia Southern, to open play at the 2021 Sun Belt Softball Championship in Troy, Alabama, on Tuesday. The Warhawks and Panthers will advance to the double-elimination bracket, where ULM will face top-seeded Louisiana for the fourth time in the last week at 10 a.m. CT Wednesday and Georgia State will take on No. 2 seed Texas State at 5:30 p.m.
 
(9) ULM 8, (8) Coastal Carolina 6
A three-run top of the sixth inning, and three insurance runs in the seventh, helped propel ULM (17-30, 6-15 SBC) to an exciting victory over Coastal Carolina (21-24, 9-15) in the play-in round of the Sun Belt Softball Championship at the Troy Softball Complex. In a three-hour battle of the bats, the Warhawks trailed 3-2 after five innings, before posting three runs in the top of the sixth to take a 5-3 lead and adding three insurance runs during their final at-bat. 

Coastal Carolina threatened in the bottom of the seventh inning as All-Sun Belt selection Makiya Thomas hit an RBI double and Stavi Augur followed with an RBI single to cut the gap to 8-5. Abbey Montoya added an RBI single to cut the margin to two runs, but the Warhawks pitching staff was able to halt the Chanticleer rally. Amber Coons picked up her sixth win of the season in the circle. 
 
(10) Georgia State 4, (7) Georgia Southern 1
Georgia State (16-28, 3-17) plated three runs in the top of the sixth inning to snap a 1-1 tie and advance to the double-elimination bracket. The Panthers opened up the scoring in the top of the third, as Daisy Hess drilled a two-out RBI double down the right-field line. Georgia Southern (17-26, 9-14) answered in the bottom of the fourth, as Jess Mazur singled with runners at the corners to drive in Bailee Wilson and tie the score at 1-1.

Hess opened the pivotal sixth inning with a triple to right center, then scored on a wild pitch, before Skylar Mosel plated a pair of runs with a double for the final 4-1 margin.

Sophie Mooney went the distance for the Panthers to move to 7-11 on the year.
 
Tournament Schedule
Wednesday, May 12                                                         
Game 3 – No. 9 ULM  vs. No. 1 Louisiana (ESPN+), 10 a.m.
Game 4 – No. 4 South Alabama vs. No. 5 App State (ESPN+), 12:30 p.m.
Game 5 – No. 3 Troy vs. No. 6 UT Arlington (ESPN+), 3 p.m.
Game 6 – No. 10 Georgia State vs. No. 2 Texas State (ESPN+), 5:30 p.m.
                                                      
Thursday, May 13
Game 7 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 (ESPN+), 10 a.m.
Game 8 – Winner Game 5  vs. Winner Game 6 (ESPN+), 12:30 p.m.
Game 9 – Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 5 (ESPN+), 3 p.m.
Game 10 – Loser Game 4 vs. Loser Game 6  (ESPN+), 5:30 p.m.
                                            
Friday, May 14
Game 11 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 (ESPN+), 10 a.m.
Game 12 – Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9 (ESPN+), 12:30 p.m.
Game 13 – Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 10 (ESPN+), 3 p.m.
Game 14 – Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 13 (ESPN+), 5:30 p.m.
 
Saturday, May 15
Game 15 – Loser Game 11 vs. Winner Game 14 (ESPN+), 11 a.m.
Championship Game – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 15 (ESPN+), 2:30 p.m.
All times are Central and subject to change.