DAHLONEGA | Four Nighthawk hitters went deep in Monday’s regular season finale as the University of North Georgia softball team swept Montevallo with a 8-0 run-rule win in game one and a 6-0 victory in the second game of the day. UNG finishes the regular season with a 47-6 mark and a 23-1 record in the Peach Belt Conference, setting a new league record for conference wins in a season.
GAME ONE
North Georgia wasted no time finding their way onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the first with RBI singles from Jessica Finch and Katie Block to give the Nighthawks a 2-0 lead. Stephanie Hartness would come into score an unearned run on a throwing error in the third to extend the lead to 3-0.
UNG broke out in the fifth inning plating five runs to give the game an early ending. Meagan May came into score the first run of the inning on a sacrifice fly to center by Meredith Heyer. Finch drove in Hartness with a double off the wall in center to make it a 5-0 game. After Brittani Crawford drew a two-out walk, Block belted a three-run home run to right center to give North Georgia the run-rule victory.
GAME TWO
Heyer opened things up in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer to right center and Crawford followed with a two-run blast to straightaway center to give UNG a 4-0 lead.
The Nighthawks added a run in the third with an RBI double down the left field line by Crawford, and another in fourth as Hartness joined the home run club with a solo shot to right center to give North Georgia the 6-0 lead that proved final.
NOTES
– Courtney Poole (46-2) went 11.0 innings allowing just six hits with six strikeouts. Macy Watkins pitched the final inning of game two allowing one hit but facing the minimum with the help of a double play.
– Stephanie Hartness led the team at the plate with a pair of 2-for-3 performances. She also scored two runs in each game.
– The Nighthawks are now 4-0 all-time against the young Montevallo program having swept the first two series between the two schools.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will head to Milledgeville on Friday for the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. UNG enters the eight-team field as the No. 1-seed and will face Francis Marion in Friday’s quarterfinal at 6:30 p.m.
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