BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Aly Harrell blasted her 14^th home run of the season in the sixth inning of Friday’s elimination game to send No. 4 Marshall to the Air Force Reserve Conference USA Softball Championship final for the first time since 2014. The Thundering Herd will face 2019 Regular-Season Co-Champion and second-seeded Louisiana Tech, who claimed the league crown in 2017. The championship game is set for 12 p.m. CT Saturday at Mary Bowers Field in Birmingham, Alabama to be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. 

Bracket
Box Score
Championship Stats 
Overall Stats

Marshall (39-19) pulled off its second 1-0 victory of the week over North Texas. Thursday's matchup sent the Mean Green down to the elimination bracket as senior Abigail Tolbert allowed just five hits in her complete-game shutout. She was just as impressive and nearly untouchable in Friday's outing, holding the league's best offense only to three. She improved to 26-14 in the circle. 

Marshall scattered six hits, including Harrell's one-out, solo home run in the top of the sixth, though North Texas wouldn't go down silently in the bottom of the seventh inning. Rhylie Makawe singled up the middle to lead things off and got as far as third before Tolbert forced back-to-back groundouts to fend off the Mean Green. 

Freshman Bailey Tindell was given the start, but credited with the loss. She handed out five hits, a walk and a strikeout in 5.1 innings of work. Hope Trautwein took over in the remaining 1.2 and kept Marshall to just one hit and two walks while striking out two. 

North Texas' historic season ended with its longest conference tournament run in program history. The Mean Green rattled off a program best 35 wins and 19 league wins en route to its first-ever regular-season championship. 

Game 7: (1) North Texas 4, (6) Middle Tennessee 2
Top-seeded North Texas defeated No. 6 Middle Tennessee 4-2 Friday afternoon in the first game of the elimination bracket at the Air Force Reserve Conference USA Softball Championship. The Mean Green will have a quick turnaround to face No. 4 Marshall in a win-or-go-home clash with a spot in the tournament final on the line.

Box Score

Hope Trautwein pitched her second complete game of the tournament and fourth in less than a week, allowing just two runs on two hits and striking out a pair of Blue Raiders. Lacy Gregory had two game-changing hits and three RBI for the Mean Green. She opened the scoring action in the third inning with a two-run single before driving home the go-ahead run in the fifth to send the Mean Green up 3-2.

North Texas tacked on an insurance run when Rhylie Makawe led off the sixth frame with a triple before coming home on a Tayla Evans sacrifice fly to make it a 4-2 affair.

Kailey Ahlstrom made her third-straight start in the tournament for Middle Tennessee, but carried the loss after tossing four runs on seven hits and two strikeouts. The Raiders tallied two runs on two hits on the offensive side of the ball. Summer Burgess and Samantha Valentine both connected on a pair of RBI doubles in the fifth inning.

Game 7: (2) Louisiana Tech 5, (4) Marshall 4
No. 2 Louisiana Tech will return to the C-USA Championship game, where it claimed the crown in 2017, after edging No. 4 Marshall 5-4 in Friday's semifinal round at Mary Bowers Field. The Lady Techsters await the winner of Friday's elimination round, potentially facing No. 1 North Texas, No. 6 Middle Tennessee or Marshall once again. The title game is set for 12 p.m. CT Saturday and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

Box Score

Louisiana Tech continues to bolster its record-breaking overall mark of 43-14 on the season. Only five other Techster teams have reached the 40-win plateau. The Blue Raiders (38-19) will battle to keep their postseason dreams alive later in a 5 p.m. matchup between either Regular-Season Co-Champion North Texas or Middle Tennessee.

2019 C-USA Player of the Year Jazlyn Crowder smashed her second home run of the tournament in the bottom of the first inning, a two-run blast delivered after Morgan Turkoly singled to give Louisiana Tech some early assurance. Crowder went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run. The Techster offense, the top unit in the league, posted six hits on the day. Bayli Simon also chipped in a couple of RBI and Sloane Stewartson went 1-for-2 with a run and walk.

Marshall's Mya Stevenson also sent one out the park, her league-leading 17th of the season. The freshman went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Abigail Tolbert was charged with the loss after allowing two runs on three hits in the first frame. Kailee Williamson provided the five-inning relief effort, tossing three runs on three hits, three walks and a pair of strikeouts.

Techster senior Preslee Gallaway garnered her 18th win of the year in the circle. She threw two runs on four hits in 4.1 innings, while Krystal De La Cruz grabbed her fourth save in 2.1 frames. She was responsible for two runs on one hit and four strikeouts.

The Thundering Herd stormed back with its back against the wall in the top of the seventh, but the comeback effort fell short. Armani Brown reached on an error and Stevenson swung a two-run blast to cut the deficit to one run.

Marshall showed signs of life in the fourth and fifth innings with a run registered in each frame. Aly Harrell drew a walk and Rachel Rousseau muscled an RBI double to help Marshall find a rhythm. Hannah Giammarino doubled and was brought home on Brown's single an inning later. Jen Chapman and Krystal De La Cruz provided relief effort for Gallaway. Chapman retired a batter and De La Cruz shut down the threat with a strikeout in the fifth inning.

Gallaway retired three-straight Herd hitters to open the third frame and allowed her red-hot offense to continue pounding. Simon sent a single out to the left-center gap to send home a pair of runs and extend the lead 5-0.