STATESBORO, Ga.- Faced with the possibility of elimination, Appalachian State University softball (25-23) willed senior Hannah Dow to pitch the longest outing of her career and used a career- best four-RBI performance from sophomore Allie Cashion to eliminate Georgia Southern (28-29), 4-2 in nine innings, in the consolation bracket of the 2011 Southern Conference Tournament at Eagle Field in Statesboro, Ga.

Senior Katie Boyd walked to start the game, but was thrown out trying to steal second. Junior Megan Rembielak followed with a bunt single through the left side and stole second on a strikeout by sophomore Meghan Smith. Cashion then stepped into the batter's box and collected two of her RBIs on a home run to left field to give Appalachian an early 2-0 advantage. The homer was Cashion's eighth of the season and 15th of her ASU career.

The Eagles answered back in their half of the first with two runs. Marie Fogle doubled to right center and after a fly out by Hannah Ennis, Megen Smith launched a Dow pitch to dead center to tie the game up. But Dow settled in afterward to retire the next two batters.

Both pitchers settled into the game from that point on. With the game in the seventh inning, sophomore Hayley Grabner pinch hit for sophomore Sheridan Phillips and grounded out to first base. Senior McKenzie Phillips singled back up the middle in the next at bat and a Sarah Rappe single to third base advanced M. Phillips to second. With runners on first and second, both moved over one base on a wild pitch by Allie Miles. Boyd walked and a Rembielak fielder's choice forced M. Phillips out at home. With two outs, Smith battled, but struck out swinging to end the frame.

Georgia Southern went down in order in its half of the seventh, forcing Appalachian into its first extra-inning affair of the season.

Cashion singled through the left side of the Eagle defense to start off the eighth inning for ASU. Junior Michelle Lighton reached on a fielder's choice after her bunt confused GSU, but they recovered to put Cashion out at second base. Dow reached a fielder's choice in the next at bat, advancing Lighton to second, but Lighton took third on a fielding error. Grabner struck out swinging and M. Phillips was hit by a pitch to load the bases again for the Mountaineers with two outs. Miles got out of her second bases-loaded jam of the game by striking out Rappe to end the stanza.

Dow came back out to the circle and sat the Eagles down again in order to send the game into the ninth inning.

Miles walked Boyd to start off the inning and Rembielak laid down a textbook sacrifice bunt to move Boyd over to second. Smith reached safely on a fielding error by Ennis, allowing Boyd to make her way over to third. With runners on the corners, Smith was able to steal second to put two runners in scoring position for Cashion. Again with one swing, Cashion singled through the right side of the Eagle defense, plating Boyd and Smith for her third and fourth RBIs of the contest. Cashion moved over to second on the throws that tried to get her teammates out at the plate and moved over one more base on Miles' second wild pitch of the game. Miles struck out Lighton and Dow to shut down the inning, but not before ASU took the 4-2 lead.

Dow started off what would be the last inning by striking out Ennis looking and making Smith ground out to M. Phillips at shortstop for the first two outs. MacKenzie Williams notched a two-out single through the left side, but Kelly Burnett grounded out to M. Phillips to end the game and give Appalachian its first SoCon Tournament victory since defeating UNCG, 2-0 in 2009.

Dow (12-4) did not walk a runner in her 93-pitch complete game performance, while allowing two runs on six hits and striking out four. Her 12 wins this season ties teammate Caitlin Wainright for second most wins in a single season in program history. Assistant coach Kayla Richardson owns the record. Dow's counterpart Miles tied her career high in strikeouts with 15, while walking four. She allowed three earned runs on nine hits.

In addition to Cashion's three hits, Rembielak added two to ASU's total.

The Mountaineers await the loser of Elon and Chattanooga and will face them at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Live stats and video will be available courtesy of the Southern Conference.