ROME -- The Lady Hawks are world series bound! Shorter softball will travel to Oklahoma City next week to represent the NCAA South Region in the national championship after topping Florida Tech 5-3 Saturday afternoon to advance.

Niki Cook got things going for the Lady Hawks in the first inning as she singled to lead off the game and quickly stole second. Maggie Meacham followed with a walk, and Kendall Johnson brought Cook in to score on a sharply hit ball to the shortstop that caromed into left field. In the third, Cook made it a 2-0 game with pop-up to left field that rolled into the corner, and using her speed was able to leg out an in the park home run for her first homer of the season.

Shorter (41-15) went up 3-0 in the fourth on an infield single from Tori Etheridge to plate Paige Rowland; who reached on a fielder's choice earlier in the inning. Only to have Florida Tech (38-20) break the shutout in the bottom of the inning with a run of their own as Hailey Leonard delivered an RBI single to bring in Taylor Peterson.

The Lady Hawks then added to their lead in the fifth on Kameron Carter's 10th homerun of the season; plating Ericka Bynum after reaching on a single one batter earlier. The Panthers scored one, in both the fifth and the sixth, for the 5-3 final score.

Maddie Bray earned the win for Shorter to move to 15-9 on the year; allowing one run on five hits with three strikeouts through three innings of work. Kalei Kimbrell recorded the save, her 9th of the year, with a scoreless seventh; striking out Leonard to end the game. Amanda Blanchard worked the middle three innings; allowing two runs on five hits with four strikeouts.

Cook, Johnson, and Carter each recorded two hits on the day to lead the Lady Hawks.

Shorter will now await the official announcement from the NCAA as to who they will play first when the National Championship Tournament begins Thursday, May 21.