(DAHLONEGA) – Continuing their chase of a spot in Chattanooga for the NCAA Division II National Championships, the No. 2 University of North Georgia defeated No. 21 Columbus State 8-3, picking up their fourth win over the Cougars in eight days and fifth overall to win the Southeast Regional #1 and advance to the Southeast Super Regional that will be held at Haines and Carolyn Hill Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park.
The Nighthawks jumped ahead 4-1 in the first inning, holding that lead and adding to it with Kristen Davis (W, 17-1) and Sophie Mooney (S, 2) combining to keep a high-scoring CSU lineup in check using another eight-run performance from the UNG lineup to earn the win.
Mooney came in relief to help close it out, allowing just one hit and no runs in four and two-thirds innings of work, helping out on the offensive end with one RBI on one hit, earning two walks and scoring twice in the game.
Hannah Forehand, who leads Division II in RBIs and is second across all divisions, continued to add the run production, driving in a team-high three RBIs to help add to the North Georgia lead. In total, six Nighthawks drove in at least one run, with Mooney, Jolie Lester, Olivia Sinquefield, Georgia Blair and Gracie Mixson all contributing with one each in a complete team effort.
The top three in the order all scored twice in the game as the Nighthawks filled up the base paths, earning eight walks. Madi Perry tied with Forehand for the team lead in hits with two in the second spot in the order.
Head Coach Mike Davenport
Our pitching staff set the tone for us from game one through today. Kristen Davis threw the ball extremely well in game one, allowing the rest of our staff to be ready for the next two games. Tybee Denton threw a great game in game two, and Kristen (Davis) again gave us a good start allowing us to go to our bullpen and the arm of Sophie Mooney, who came up big for us today against one of the best hitting teams in the nation.
I am extremely proud of our kids and how they represented themselves this weekend against three of the best teams in the Southeast. I feel very fortunate to continue to have an opportunity to play again next week in the NCAA Super Regionals.
Next Up
The Nighthawks (57-6) will host second-seeded Wingate (48-15) in the Southeast Super Regional at Haines and Carolyn Hill Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park, with the winner of the three-game series advancing to the NCAA DII National Championships at Frost Stadium in Chattanooga.
The Southeast Super Regional is set to kick off on Thursday (May 18) at 2:00pm.
