AMERICUS, Ga. – With today’s sweep of Georgia Southwestern, University of North Georgia head softball coach
Mike Davenport earned win No. 800 of his coaching career as the No. 2 Nighthawks cruised to wins of 7-0 and 13-5
Saturdayafternoon.
GAME ONE
Kylee Smith held the Hurricanes at bay, allowing just one hit in her six innings of work. UNG didn’t scratch the scoreboard until the bats came alive in the fourth inning. RBI doubles by Alishia Frierson and Hobby Gregory put North Georgia up, 4-0, before Sydney Sprague‘s sacrifice fly that led to two Nighthawks crossing the plate, making the score 6-0 through 3.5 innings.
The Nighthawks scored their final run of the game when Jordan Deep went yard in the sixth with a solo shot to left center. From there, the pitching staff for UNG locked down and prevented GSW from scoring a single run.
Eight of the nine starters earned hits in the game, and all nine reached base at some point.
GAME TWO
Kaylyn Anthony wasted no time putting UNG on the board in game two, using a RBI double to plate two Nighthawks and give UNG a 2-0 lead. Georgia Southwestern answered in the bottom of the inning with a two-RBI double of their own, tying the game after one inning of play.
North Georgia responded swiftly in the top of the second with two more two-RBI doubles, this time from Sprague and Brittany Gilliam to earn a 6-2 lead. Moments later, a sacrifice fly from Anthony gave UNG a 7-2 lead. Another two-RBI double by Gilliam in the third extended the Nighthawk lead to 10-2 before UNG plated three more in the fourth inning.
The Canes didn’t go quietly, adding three more runs in the bottom of the fourth on a solo homer and a RBI double, but Smith shut the door on GSW in relief to earn the five-inning win.
NOTES
– In Davenport’s career, he has won 800 games to just 215 losses in 18 seasons. Now at 47-2 on the season, he has won 47 or more games in nine of the last 10 years.
– Smith finished the doubleheader with 7.2 innings of work and 13 strikeouts. In game two, she gave up one hit and struck out the other five batters she faced.
– Gilliam, Gregory and Marley Stowers each had four hits in the doubleheader. Gilliam finished with two runs scored and four RBI as well.
NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will have a week without any games before traveling to USC Aiken on Saturday, April 21, for a doubleheader that starts at 1 p.m.
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