WASHINGTON— No. 4 Saint Louis survived the first elimination game of the 2016 Atlantic 10 Softball Championship, beating George Washington 4-3 Thursday at GW’s Mount Vernon Athletic Complex.

Both teams lost their opening game of the double-elimination tournament, setting up the game-three elimination matchup. Saint Louis (25-25) moves ahead in the consolation bracket, but will not know its opponent until the conclusion of Friday’s first two games. The Colonials closed out their season with a 23-29 record.

SLU pitcher Brianna Lore (13-14), who went seven innings in the circle, helped her own cause by driving in the eventual winning runs with a two-RBI single to centerfield in the fifth. Lore’s hit pushed pinch runner Mackenzie Lawson and Buckles home, breaking a two-all tie. Lore struck out four and allowed seven hits and three runs while pitching.

GW got one of those runs back in the sixth and threatened to take a win away from Lore. Riley Tejcek, who was 3-for-3 with two RBI, scored on a Rochelle Draper two-out single. Draper advanced to second on the play, but Lore induced a pop out from Morgan Matetic to end the inning. Colonials’ pitcher Sarah Costlow tried to help her cause with a seventh inning single, but a double-play and ground out ended the final GW chance.

Costlow (14-15) went six innings in the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits with one walk and one strikeout.

Mackenzie Peter and Emma Buckles, both of whom went 2-for-4 in the game, scored Saint Louis’ first two runs. Peter passed the plate on a bunt single by Alex Nickel and Buckles scored and a sacrifice bunt by Elizabeth Everingham.

George Washington battled back and tied the game in the fourth on a two-run seeing-eye single by Riley Tejcek that drove in Paige Kovalski and Megan Linn.