WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. | The University of Alabama in Huntsville softball team is one of 16 teams remaining in the 2018 NCAA tournament as the Chargers defeated Palm Beach Atlantic in a winner-take-all contest on Saturday at the NCAA South 1 Regional to earn a berth in next week's NCAA South Super Regional at Saint Leo.
 
UAH will be making its first Super Regional appearance since 2014, and it marks the program's fourth berth into the Super Regional round.
 
PBA forced the if necessary game by knocking off the Chargers 3-0 in the day's first game, but UAH responded with a gutsy 5-1 win in the second game to eliminate the top-seeded Sailfish.
 
UAH moves on at 38-16, while PBA's year ends at 36-8.
 
The Chargers were trailing 1-0 in the second game after Palm Beach Atlantic struck first in the bottom of the second, but UAH would finally solve the PBA pitching in the top of the fourth.
 
With Alaina Hampton standing at first after drawing a one-out walk, Brooke Miller doubled to right center, and Hampton raced all the way home, using a head-first slide to avoid the tag and tie the contest at 1-1.
 
Taylor Wascavage then was hit by a pitch and Ashley Cornell singled to load the bases, allowing Miller to take the easy trot home for the go-ahead run when Shannon Long drew a walk.
 
The Sailfish threatened immediately in the bottom of the fourth and nearly tied the game before Cornell threw a dart home for the second out of the inning, and after PBA loaded the bases to keep the threat alive, Layton Murphy induced a flyout to center to end the inning.
 
Murphy once again went the distance, scattering six hits in the seven innings while striking out three and allowing just one run to move to 19-9 on the season.
 
Providing Murphy with a two-run cushion, an RBI single by Wascavage plated Kiara Akles in the top of the fifth, and after Murphy then retired five of the next six, Cornell provided the Chargers with two huge insurance runs when she homered off the pole in left in the top of the seventh to make it 5-1.
 
Murphy then worked around a two-ount single in the bottom frame to seal the contest.
 
For the game, UAH outhit the Sailfish by a 9-6 margin as each of Cornell, Miller, Wascavage, and Shelby Booker had a pair of hits in the game.
 
Cornell's game-high two RBI give her 30, and the Chargers now have nine different players who have at least 30 on the season.
 
In the day's first game, the Sailfish outhit the Chargers by an 11-4 margin, but the game was a scoreless affair until the top of the sixth when PBA sent eight to the plate and scored three times to create the eventual 3-0 final.
 
UAH did threaten in the bottom of the sixth, getting runners to first and third to start the frame, but the next three Chargers were retired in order to end the threat.
 
Kiara Akles was strong in the circle in the setback, working around 11 hits while striking out four and walking none in going the distance in the circle.
 
Offensively, Jada Hayes had two of UAH's hits with Amber Hammonds and Wascavage both doubling for the other pair.
 
The Super Regional is slated to start on Thursday at No. 3 seed Saint Leo who upset second-seeded North Alabama in the South 2 Regional.
 
UAH and SLU met earlier this season in an opening weekend matchup that the Lions won 9-1, but the Chargers are 5-0 all-time against next weekend's hosts including a 9-7 win last year in the South 2 Regional at Saint Leo.