GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Late game heroics from sophomore Kiley Shelton gave the Florida Atlantic softball team its first NCAA Regional win since 2016, a 5-4 victory over No. 3-seed Georgia Tech, in an eight-inning thriller on Friday afternoon.
 
The Owls (45-10) and the Yellow Jackets (27-23) went back-and-forth in the opening game of the Gainesville Regional with four lead changes in the final three innings. Facing two outs on the board and two runners on base in the bottom of the eighth, Shelton hit the game winning RBI single to right field for the walk-off win.
 
Junior pitcher Autumn Courtney made the start and received the win to improve to 24-3 on the season, pitching 5.1 innings before re-entering in the top of the eighth. 
 
Courtney picked up right where she left off from her previous stellar postseason outing, with three swing-and-miss strikeouts in the top of the first inning to retire the side.
 
A fourth strikeout from the First Team All-Region selection Courtney stranded Yellow Jacket runners on second and third base in the top of the second. Leading off the bottom frame, sophomore first baseman Bella Cimino launched a shot to left field, her sixth home run of the year, for the first score of the game.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, sophomore Ciara Gibson blasted the ball to right center field for the Owls' second leadoff home run of the game. The Yellow Jackets responded in the top of the sixth with three runs to take a 3-2 lead.
 
A two-out walk from freshman second baseman Destiny Johns put an Owl runner on base in the bottom of the sixth. Back-to-back doubles then ensued, first from Gibson then from Shelton in her first clutch hit of the game, to put FAU up 4-3.
 
Down to their last strike in the top of the seventh, a solo home run from the Yellow Jackets tied the score. Florida Atlantic was retired in the bottom half to send the game into extra innings, its first such game since the season opener.
 
Courtney returned to the circle to finish the job, stranding two runners on base to get out of the top of the eighth.
 
Johns reaching on a fielder's choice set up the winning run. Gibson and Shelton remained the heroes of the game, with the former drawing the walk to advance Johns to second before the latter brought her home from second for a walk-off victory.
 
The Owls continue NCAA Regional play with a matchup against No. 1-seed Florida (44-14) on Saturday. First pitch is at 12 p.m. With a win on Saturday and Sunday, Florida Atlantic can advance to the Super Regionals for the first time in program history.