2-20-16
ORLANDO, Fla. | It was hard to tell that the top-ranked University of North Georgia softball team hadn’t played a game in nearly two weeks, as the Nighthawks were dominant in their first two games of the Diamond9 Citrus Classic at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. UNG took down Illinois-Springfield with a 8-0 combined no-hitter in five innings before defeating Rollins, 7-2, in the nationally televised nightcap.
GAME ONE
Meredith Heyer sparked a five-run inning in the second with a one-out solo homer to left center to get the Nighthawks on the board. Ansley Phillips, Hannah McSwain, and Stephanie Hartness all came up with RBI base hits to push the UNG lead to 5-0.
Alexis Collis drove in Heyer with a RBI double down the leftfield line in the third and Katie Block would deliver the big blow in the top of the fifth with a two-run shot to left to give North Georgia the 8-0 lead needed for the run-rule victory.
Courtney Poole and Brianna Michaud combined for a no-hitter in the five-inning game. Poole struck out nine while Michaud picked up one strike out.
GAME TWO
Heyer would once again drive in the game’s first run with a RBI double to left in the bottom of the first, bringing in Jessica Finch to give the Nighthawks the early 1-0 lead.
Finch and Heyer both came up with RBI base hits in the third to push the UNG lead to 3-0. North Georgia would plate two runs in the fourth but Rollins answered with a run in the fifth and another in the sixth to pull the game within three runs, 5-2.
Stephanie Hartness and Finch both came up with their second RBI hits of the game in the sixth to push the UNG lead back to five, 7-2, which proved final.
NOTES
– Courtney Poole (6-0) picked up both wins on the day for the Nighthawks, in all allowing only two runs on five hits with 16 strikeouts in 11 innings pitched.
– Stephanie Hartness continued her hot hitting, leading the team at the plate with a 3-for-4 effort in the Rollins game and collected four RBI on the day. The junior from Niceville, Florida is hitting a .576 clip thus far.
NEXT UP
UNG will return to the ESPN Wide World of Sports for a pair of afternoon games tomorrow, taking on Queens (NY) at 3:30 p.m., followed by a game with Dominican at 5:45 p.m.
