MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | The top-seeded University of North Georgia softball team used two
Jessica Finch RBI base hits to take down USC Aiken, 2-1, Friday at the Peeler Complex in the first quarterfinal game of the 2015 Peach Belt Conference Tournament. The Nighthawks improve to 42-7 on the season and will face the winner of game two – No. 4-seed Georgia Regents vs. No. 5-seed Young Harris – in the semifinals.
The game was a true pitchers’ duel as both teams only put up three hits each on the day.
UNG finally got their first hit and first run of the ballgame in the bottom of the fifth. After Meredith Heyer reached with a leadoff single – the only leadoff hitter of the day to reach for North Georgia – Jessica Finch sent a one-out double down the left field line to score Heyer all the way from first and give the Nighthawks a 1-0 lead.
The Pacers (22-17) found their way onto the board in the top of the seventh when Ashley Metts sent a line drive over the left field wall to tie the game at 1-1.
Just as it looked like the game was destined for extra innings, Katie Block sent a two-out double past the USCA center fielder and came home to score on Finch’s Texas Leaguer over the head of the second baseman, giving the Hawks the walk off win, 2-1.
Courtney Poole (35-3) picked up the victory for UNG with 11 strikeouts in her 7.0 innings pitched, allowing just one run on three hits without issuing a walk.
Taylor Morgan (9-10) – who started the game pitching the first three innings and then reentered to pitch the final 1.2 – was tagged with the loss allowing one run on two hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
North Georgia is slated to take on the winner of the Georgia Regents-Young Harris game tomorrow at 11 a.m. If inclement weather prevents play tomorrow, the semifinals and championship game will be played on Sunday, April 26, with the same game times.