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ATLANTA -- Kennesaw State rallied with five runs over the final three innings to beat Georgia State, 5-3, in the second round of the National Invitational Softball Championship regional tournament at GSU's Bob Heck Field in Atlanta.
 
The Owls (38-18) now advance to the championship game of the Region 5 bracket, which is set for Thursday at 1 p.m. Their opponent is to be determined.
 
Taylor Denton provided the go-ahead run in the sixth with an RBI single that scored Olivia Tamewitz, three batters after Jessie Mullen tied the game with a solo blast to lead off the inning.
 
Working with a lead for the first time, reliever Logan Viers finished off the Panthers (35-24) in the seventh to seal the victory. Viers tossed five scoreless innings in relief of starter Abigail Green and improved her record to 14-6.
 
"That was a team effort in the truest sense," said head coach Pete D'Amour. "Our defense was solid and we had some really good at bats. I can't understate how well Logan threw today. She threw as well as she had all year. It's hard to beat Georgia State, and it's very hard to beat them on their field. We're looking forward to competing tomorrow."
 
Georgia State jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first thanks to a two-run homer from Ivie Drake and a solo blast from Megan Litumbe.
 
But Green settled in over the next two innings, and Viers did the rest in keeping the Panthers off the board.
 
The Owls began chipping away at the 3-0 deficit in the fourth as Noelle Winkles and pinch-hitter Katey Lynch each delivered RBI singles to make it 3-2.
 
Mullen's home run to deep right field – her seventh blast of the year – tied the game at 3-3, with Denton's single up the middle proving to be the game winner. Hannah Thomason provided insurance with a one-out squeeze bunt that plated Tamewitz.
 
Mullen finished 2-for-3 with a double and a homer, while Courtney Sutter also had two of the Owls' nine hits.

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