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ATLANTA, Ga. — No. 7 Emory University broke a scoreless tie in the seventh inning and held on to inch past No. 21 Averett University in Saturday's NCAA Regional winner's bracket game.

Averett (35-4-1) will face the winner between Berry College and LaGrange College later Saturday at 4 p.m. in an elimination game.

Both teams held each other in check through six innings before Emory (33-7) scored the eventual game-winning run in its final at-bat. Tara Fallahee led off the top of the seventh with a double that snuck inside the third base bag and rolled all the way to the corner in left field. Fallahee advanced to third base on a grounder to first base for the first out. Averett got a ground ball to third base, but the Cougars opted to try to fool Fallahee by faking a throw to first and firing back to the bag at third. Fallahee barely got back on the play, which allowed Ashley Powers to reach safely. After Fallahee was replaced by pinch runner Brianna Berceau, Averett induced a grounder back to junior pitcher Mary Beth Smith, who tossed the ball home to junior catcher Jessye Crews for the tag out at home plate.

It appeared as though Averett was going to get out of the jam as it had several times all day against the Eagles. However, Emory caught the break that both teams had been searching for all afternoon. Taylor Forte's slow-roller to the first base side was in the perfect spot and Averett's throw to first was late, allowing Forte to reach safely while scoring Powers from third with the go-ahead run.

Emory starting pitcher Brittany File got Averett to go in order in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win for Eagles and send them to Sunday's championship round. File limited the Cougars to only two hits.

Averett's best opportunity to score came in the third inning. With two outs, junior Taylor Dix reached on an error and Smith and Crews followed with back-to-back walks. Emory got a strikeout to end the threat.

Emory got a runner in scoring position in each of the second, third and fourth innings, but Averett managed to hold the Eagles off the scoreboard every time until the final frame.

Smith (19-4) took the loss despite allowing just four hits while striking out seven in seven innings.

Sophomore Samantha Hall and junior Rhyan Scearce accounted for Averett's lone hits against Emory.