ATLANTA, GA -- Michelle Plant (at right) singled home Katie Lee with the only run of the game as the the University of Delaware softball team concluded its 2007 season by posting a 1-0 win in eight innings over Georgia State Sunday afternoon at Bob Heck Field.

The Blue Hens finished the season with a 16-26-3 overall record and were tied for sixth place in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 7-13 mark, while the Panthers, who will be the third seed in next week’s conference tournament, fell to 32-28 overall and 11-9 in the league. Delaware’s 16 wins are its fewest since the 1995 team recorded 15 victories.

The game featured a pitcher’s duel between Blue Hen starter Carolynn Sloat and Georgia State’s Ashley Cowan, as the contest remained scoreless until the top of the eighth inning. With one out Katie Lee singled to rightfield, and after Katie DeSalvo singled up the middle, Madi Gore replaced Cowan in the circle. Gore got Quinn Megargel to fly out to center but Michelle Plant, playing in her final game as a Blue Hen, followed with a single up the middle to score Lee with the only run of the game.

Sloat, who was also appearing in her final career game at Delaware, got Mary Kathryn Branan to ground out to third to open the bottom of the eighth. However Nichole Griffin singled to center, Lily Skelton walked, and Rachel Cunningham reached on an error by Blue Hen shortstop Kim Ovittore as the Panthers loaded the bases. But Sloat got Alison Bradford to foul out to third and Nikki Bradford to fly out to left to end the game.

Sloat improved to 10-16 on the season after allowing six hits and three walks while walking two batters. The shutout was the 25th of Sloat’s career, as she finished second all-time at Delaware behind only Kristi O’Connell, who fired 27 shutouts from 1997-2000. Cowan fell to 11-9 for Georgia State after allowing one earned run on seven hits with three strikeouts, while Gore gave up one hit in two-thirds of an inning.

DeSalvo, Jessica Kozlowski and Lee each had two hits to lead the Delaware attack.

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