AIKEN, S.C. | A combined 19 hits and seven stolen bases along with two solid outings from
Courtney Poole propelled the seventh-ranked University of North Georgia softball team to a doubleheader sweep of USC Aiken, 6-0 and 6-1, Sunday afternoon in UNG's final road games of the regular season. The Nighthawks improve to 43-6 and now hold a three-game lead in the Peach Belt Conference standings at 19-1.
GAME ONEAfter three scoreless innings to start the game,
Brittani Crawford got UNG on the board first with single to center that scored
Whitney Worth from second.
Katie Block followed with a two-run shot to left center that gave the Nighthawks a 3-0 lead.
Stephanie Hartness plated
Kali Turner in the fifth with a double in the left center gap and then came in to score herself on a
Jessica Finch single to left center that extended the UNG lead to 5-0 in the fifth.
Ansley Phillips would drive in Block in the sixth to give the game its final score, 6-0.
GAME TWOHartness got North Georgia on the board in the first with a solo homer to center to put UNG up early, 1-0. Heads up base running platted another for the Nighthawks in the second and a
Meredith Heyer sacrifice fly in the third gave UNG a 3-0 lead after three.
An RBI single from Block in the sixth and a two-run single to right center by Finch in the seventh extended the North Georgia lead to 6-0. USC Aiken pushed across their only run of the day with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh.
NOTES-
Courtney Poole (42-2) went all 14.0 innings on the day for UNG allowing just one run on 11 hits, while striking out 13.
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Jessica Finch and
Stephanie Hartness both had a pair of multi-hit games on the day with Finch leading the way with a 5-for-8 effort.
- North Georgia owns a 25-4 all-time record against USC Aiken having won six straight now dating back to 2014.
- With today's doubleheader sweep of the Pacers combined with a Saturday loss by Armstrong State, UNG's magic number to claim its third consecutive Peach Belt Conference Championship sits at 1.
NEXT UPThe Nighthawks will return home for their final four games of the regular season starting with a doubleheader against Augusta on Thursday. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Haines and Carolyn Hill Stadium.
