HARDEEVILLE, SC. — Tied for the longest game in opening round, the Lady Tigers forced the "if-necessary" game in the Beaufort Bracket of the NAIA Opening Round, beating South Carolina Beaufort, 6-5 in 12 innings.

Tied at five going into the bottom of the 12^th inning, Hailey Szpila worked a one-out walk and Kendyl Ahrens reached on an infield single setting up the fireworks. Senior Erin Benton singled to left field to plate Szpila for the game-winner, forcing the final game.

The championship game will start at approximately 3:35 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the final game – www.portal.stretchinternet.com/uscb. Also, live stats and tweets will be available – @CvilleLTS and STATS.

Jacqueline Roof and Kristin Benton led the Lady Tigers with four hits in six at bats. Roof led off the game with a home run to put CU up, 1-0. K. Benton finished with one RBI.

Brianna Scott, Shelby Ray and Ahrens all picked up two hits apiece.

Victoria Decker (19-4) picked up the win in the longest outing of her career. Decker went 11.2 innings, allowing 13 hits but striking out seven batters. Her pitch total finished at 172…. 123 strikes and 49 balls.

Opposing pitcher, Kristy Cook (26-5) picked up the loss in a 173-pitch performance.

The scoring started in the first inning as Roof led off with her eighth home run of the season and followed with an RBI-double by K. Benton putting CU ahead, 2-0.

South Carolina Beaufort answered with two runs in the fifth inning to knot the game at two. After Decker recorded two quick outs on three pitches, the Sand Sharks strung together three consecutive hits capped by a Maddie Byrd's double to left-center field.

Campbellsville answered in the sixth inning with a single run. Szpila hit a missle to left-center field for her seventh home run pushing CU ahead, 3-2.

But the Sand Sharks took their first lead, 4-3 in the seventh inning after Byrd made reliever Neely Quint pay. Quint came in with two outs and a runner on first but the second pitch Byrd saw, she delivered her team-leading 14^th home run.

The Lady Tigers rallied, though, in the bottom half. Roof doubled in Ray from first base for her second RBI and knotted the game at four.

Decker returned and both her and Cook battled through the eighth and ninth innings without allowing runs but the duo both gave up single runs in the 10^th. Marissa Brown tied Byrd for the team-lead in home runs with her 14^th bomb but Campbellsville once again answered the call with the pressure on. With USCB leading, 5-4, freshman Brianna Scott led off the inning with a double and moved to third base on a infield single by K. Benton – then came around to score on a throwing error by the Sand Shark second baseman.

The fireworks then came in the bottom of the 12^th to force the if-necessary game between Campbellsville and South Carolina Beaufort. The Lady Tigers are playing for their first-ever NAIA World Series appearance in Sioux City, Iowa.