DAHLONEGA | Entering the day needing just one win to clinch the outright Peach Belt Conference title, the seventh-ranked University of North Georgia softball team got right to work with a 5-0 victory over Armstrong State before falling in the last game of the twin bill, 4-3. The loss in the second game snapped UNG’s 21-game winning streak and puts the Nighthawks at 40-6 on the year with a league-best 21-1 record in conference play.
The regular season title is the fifth for North Georgia in the past seven years. Each year the team has won the PBC regular season title, it has gone on to win the tournament championship as well. The Nighthawks will be the No. 1-seed in the 2015 Peach Belt Tournament, April 24-25, hosted by Georgia College in Milledgeville.
Game One
The Nighthawks set the tone in game one plating two runs in the bottom of the first inning after Courtney Poole retired Armstrong (28-12, 17-5 PBC) in order in the top frame of the inning. Meredith Heyer scored Kim McMillan from second with her RBI single up the middle and then Katie Block drove in Victoria Prince with an RBI single to third, giving the Hawks a 2-0 lead.
McMillan would drive in Jessica Finch with a sacrifice fly to left the next inning to make it 3-0 and Tiffanie Burns would make a superb senior day memory with a two-run homer lined over the center field wall in the fifth to give the game its final 5-0 score.
Poole was brilliant in the circle carrying a one-hitter into the seventh inning and ultimately finishing with a three-hit shutout of the Pirates. The UNG ace struck out eight while issuing just one base on balls.
Game Two
North Georgia got off to a rocky start in the top of the first allowing three unearned runs on three hits and two crucial errors. The next seven frames would all go in order until Armstrong finally got another base runner in the top of the fifth, but couldn’t bring her home.
UNG finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth as Katie Block picked up a one-out double to right center and then stole third. Block came home on a sacrifice fly to center from Jessica Finch, to cut the ASU lead to two.
The Pirates would get the run back though, scoring an unearned run as a collision in shallow left on a fly ball allowed Jane Trzaska to score from third.
The Hawks rallied in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI double down the left field line by McMillan scored Taylor Anne Merritt from first base. McMillan would come home to score on a throwing error by the Armstrong short stop trying to turn a double play.
Poole (33-2) was tagged with the loss, even though the junior did not allow an earned run on the game. Poole struck out two while allowing five hits.
Next Up
The Nighthawks look to wrap up the season on Tuesday at Young Harris. First pitch for the doubleheader is set for 2 p.m.
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