COLUMBUS, Ga. (3/10/13) – Courtney Melchionna's single in the bottom of the eight unknotted a 1-1 tie to give the Kean University softball team a 2-1 victory over No. 7 Christopher Newport University on Sunday. Freshman Casey Glatts (pictured left) pitched all eight stellar innings for the Cougars and earned a memorable first career victory.

CNU scored first in the top of the third, but Kean answered back in the bottom half of the frame. An error to start the inning and a one-out walk put two runners on for Sandra Binkiewicz. The junior leftfielder laced an RBI single down the rightfield line to drive in Julie Braun and tie the game up.

Other than the third inning, Glatts and her counterpart Whitney Haller dominated the proceedings, combining for a dozen strikeouts and just 11 hits allowed in 16 innings pitched. Individually, Glatts struck out four and walked only one batter.

As the eighth inning began, Glatts induced a pair of popups sandwiched around a strikeout to strand the runner placed on second and give Kean a chance to win.

The Cougars staged a dramatic two-out rally for the victory. Jill Martin and Courtney Yard walked to load the bases before Melchionna's heroic single to win it. With the victory, Kean advanced to the Silver Bracket Championship of the Leadoff Classic.

In the Championship game, the Cougars ran into their early-season nemesis in Emory University. The fourth-ranked Eagles shutout Kean earlier in the tournament and continued the streak on Sunday, taking the final game in Georgia by a 6-0 final.

Megan Cegielski led Kean against Emory with a pair of hits in Sunday's second game.

Kean will hop on the bus to Kissimmee, Florida and resume their Spring Break trip with a game against Lakeland College on Tuesday.