Spartanburg, S.C. - A controversial call in the bottom of the fourth inning proved to be the difference in the game as top-seeded FGCU (36-22) defeated the sixth-seeded Stetson softball team (26-21) 3-0 in the winner's bracket final of the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships. The Hatters will play the winner of Kennesaw State/Lipscomb at 5:30 pm in the loser's bracket final, needing a victory to keep the season alive and advance to a re-match with FGCU.

With the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the fourth, FGCU right fielder Mariah Fernandez sent a fly ball into left center field where Stetson sophomore center fielder Chrissy Morello (Ormond Beach, Fla.) made a diving catch. However, as she raised her glove to prove the catch the ball slipped from her glove and the out was disallowed. All three runners scored as Fernandez ended up on second base with a double.

A-Sun Pitcher of the Year Shelby Morgan made that break stand up for the Eagles, tossing a four-hit shutout. For the Hatters, sophomore pitcher Meredith Owen (Jackson, Miss.) and senior first baseman Carolyn Boyd (Germantown, Tenn.) had two hits apiece for all the team's offense.

Owen was tagged with a tough loss for five inning of six-hit ball with four walks and two strikeouts. She entered in relief with two on and nobody out in the bottom of the second and kept FGCU from scoring in that inning or the next one.

Live Stats for Stetson's evening game will be available at GoHatters.com; free video is available at ASun.TV.

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