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ROME, Ga. – The Lee softball team locked up the eighth and final spot in the Gulf South Conference Tournament with a 3-1 win at Shorter University in game one of Saturday's doubleheader.
 
The Lady Flames used the consistent combination of Leigh Beatenbough's arm and Taylor Moran's bat to punch their ticket to the postseason.

Beatenbough (14-9) tossed a complete game and allowed just one run on six hits while striking out four.
 
Moran went 2 for 3 with two RBI in the contest. The slugging first baseman drove in a run on a single in the fifth and launched her team-leading 13^th home run in the seventh inning. Moran leads the GSC in RBI with 62.
 
Abby McKinney drove in the other run for the Lady Flames on a sacrifice fly in the fifth frame. Claudia Jones went 2 for 3 with a double.
 
The Hawks scored their lone run with a Taylor Ann Oda infield single in the seventh inning.
 
Lee (26-27, 14-18) will look for the series victory over rival Shorter (16-25, 11-19) to wrap up the regular season Sunday at 12 p.m.  The Lady Flames will open postseason play on Thursday in Florence, Ala. after the North Alabama Lions claimed the right to host by finishing atop the regular season standings.
 
GAME 2 – LEE 4 SU 5
 
The Shorter Hawks outlasted the Lady Flames 5-4 in 10 innings in Saturday's night cap.
 
Abi Valdes tied things up for the Hawks in the bottom of the seventh at 2-2 to force extra innings.
 
Claudia Jones put Lee back up 3-2 in the eighth frame as she drove in a run on a single to second.
 
The lead was short-lived however as the Hawks once again responded as Tiffany Holland delivered one of her three hits to tie the game back up 3-3.
 
The back-and-forth battle continued into the 10^th inning as once again Jones singled to drive in her fourth run of the game to put Lee up 4-3.
 
The Hawks finally sent everybody home with two runs in the bottom of the 10^th. Carson Carriker tied things up with a bases-loaded walk before Kaylee Combs played the role of hero with a run-scoring single to center.
 
Jones hit a two-run homer to right center in the fourth to put the Lady Flames up 2-1. Kayla Louie strokes three singles and stole three bases.

Erika Greek started and worked seven-plus innings allowing three runs, two earned on seven hits. She walked three and struck out four. Game one winner Leigh Beatenbough was tagged with the loss as she allowed two runs on five hits in two innings of relief.

Hannah Draper (3-9) gutted out all 10 innings in the circle to earn the win for Shorter. Draper yielded four runs, three earned while giving up nine hits. She walked four and struck out six.