TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (March 11, 2007) -- Senior second baseman Mary Kathryn Branan (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton) rallied Georgia State to a 4-4 tie in the seventh and hit the game-winning sacrifice fly RBI in the ninth to lift the Panthers to a 5-4 win over Western Carolina in the Silver bracket semifinals Sunday morning at the Florida State Invitational.

Branan's sacrifice fly RBI with one out in the bottom of the ninth plated sophomore outfielder Nichole Griffin (Leesburg, Ga./Lee), scoring the winning run.

Trailing 4-1 in the seventh, Georgia State recorded three runs in the bottom of the frame to force extra innings. Freshman shortstop Rachel Cunningham (Alpharetta, Ga./South Forsyth) hit a two-run single with one out to trim the Catamounts advantage to 4-3. Branan later tied the contest at 4-all with a sacrifice fly RBI.

After a four-inning pitching duel, the Panthers took 1-0 lead in the bottom in the fifth.

The Catamounts bounced back to stake a 2-1 advantage in the top of the sixth and plated two more runs in the top of the seventh for a 4-1 advantage, forcing Georgia State's final inning heroics.

Madi Gore (10-3) picked up the victory for the Panthers.