2/19/17
DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The eighth-ranked University of North Georgia softball team used a record-setting day to sweep the competition at the 2017 Captain D’s Classic following a 8-0 shutout against Shepherd and a 20-4 win over Seton Hill, Sunday at Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium. UNG’s 20 runs scored in the Seton Hill game is a new NCAA-era record for runs scored in a game. With the victories the Nighthawks improve to 14-4 on the season.
GAME ONE
The Nighthawks were able to escape the top half of the first unscathed after Shephard put North Georgia on the defensive with three hits. UNG responded in stride in the bottom half of the inning with back-to-back, first-strike home runs from Sydney Sprague and Stephanie Hartness. The pair of homers gave the Nighthawks the early 2-0 lead and sent Sarah North, the Shepherd starting pitcher, to the bench after just four pitches.
The Nighthawk bats stayed hot in the bottom of the second after walks, errors and a series of hits from Sprague, Hartness and Alisha Frierson drew in three runs.
The streak continued with two runs in the third and one in the fourth for the Nighthawks ending the game in a resounding 8-0 shutout in five innings.
Kylee Smith (8-1) earned the win in the circle giving up just four hits and struck out seven against 20 batters faced in four innings of starting work.
GAME TWO
North Georgia came out swinging as the designated away team in the top half of the first, scoring eight runs off eight hits, including a double and a triple from Stephanie Hartness as the Nighthawks were able to bat through the order.
The streak continued in the top of the second as North Georgia scored two runs, after a solo-homerun to left-center from Shelby Hammontree and a Sydney Sprague RBI single extended the Nighthawk lead to 10-0.
The lone Seton Hill runs came in the bottom of the second after a solo-homerun from Abbey Suhoski and a two-run shot from Paige Hertzog making the score 10-3 heading to the third.
The Nighthawks went on to score 10 more runs, including a two-run-homerun in the third and another solo-homerun in the fourth from Hammontree, giving her home runs in three consecutive at bats in a single game, a new UNG record.
Amber Garrett (1-0) wass credited with her first win of the season after giving up just two hits in three innings of relief work.
NOTES
–Sydney Sprague led the team in game one with three hits and 2 RBIs, making it her third game of the season with three or more hits.
– Kylee Smith‘s seven strikeouts made it her fourth game with seven or more this season.
– After scoring 20 runs in game two, the Nighthawks surpassed the previous NCAA-era (Since 2006) mark of 19, reached three times, the last in 2011 at Coker.
– Shelby Hammontree led the effort in game two, going 5-5 from the plate, including 5 runs batted in, and three home runs, setting the single-game home run record for the Nighthawks.
NEXT UP
The Nighthawks travel to Orlando, Florida to play in the Diamond9 Citrus Classic at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex located at the Walt Disney World Resort. UNG will open the tournament against Eckerd on Friday, Feb. 24. First Pitch is scheduled for 1:15 p.m.
