MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The No. 3 seed Martin Methodist Softball team suffered a late-inning defeat to No. 2 seed Auburn-Montgomery (Ala.), but followed up with a shutout victory in its second game of the afternoon to stay alive at the SSAC Softball Championship Friday afternoon.

After they dispatched No. 6 seed Faulkner (Ala.) in their tournament opener Thursday, the RedHawks dropped their the first ballgame of the afternoon, 4-1, to two-time defending national champion and No. 2 seed Auburn-Montgomery (Ala.).

The RedHawks held a 1-0 lead in the opening game of the afternoon, but the Warhawks rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh behind two, two-run home runs and eventually claim the 4-1 victory.

The second contest of the afternoon proved much more kind to the RedHawks as they bashed out a 6-0 victory over Middle Georgia State. The RedHawks opened the scoring with two runs in the second, added another in the third and then repeated the production in the fifth and sixth innings for the 6-0 victory.

The win kept the RedHawks alive in their quest for a first-ever SSAC title and ensured the squad at least one more contest on Saturday morning.

The RedHawks will meet a still-to-be-determined opponent in a 10 a.m. elimination contest. The RedHawks will meet either No. 1 seed William Carey (Miss.) or No. 7 seed Mobile (Ala.) after those two clubs finish play from a contest that was halted Thursday night due to thunderstorms in the area.

If the RedHawks are to reach the tournament title game, they will still need to win a Noon contest against the loser of the winner's bracket championship – Auburn-Montgomery (Ala.) or No. 5 seed Bethel (Tenn.).

Live stats and live video of all of Saturday's ballgames can be found online at www.GoRedHawks.com.