MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | Senior Meredith Heyer took full advantage of her last at bat at a Peach Belt Conference event as she smacked a bases-clearing three-run triple into the right center gap to give the University of North Georgia softball team a 8-0 run-rule win over seventh-seeded USC Aiken in the PBC Tournament Championship Game. UNG defeated fifth-seeded UNC Pembroke in their semifinal game earlier in the day.
 
With the tournament title the Nighthawks claim the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Softball Tournament.
 
SEMIFINAL – North Georgia 6, UNC Pembroke 3
North Georgia got to work quickly in the bottom of the first with a Stephanie Hartness solo home run to center. Jessica Finch followed with a RBI double to left center that scored Heyer to give UNG a 2-0 advantage.
 
UNCP's Taylor Gerhart answered with a home run of her own in the second inning to make it a 2-1 game. Hartness would get the run back in the next inning with her no-doubt shot to right to extend the Nighthawk lead to 3-1. Katie Block plated another run in the same frame with her RBI triple to right center.
 
UNG scored a pair of runs in the fifth but UNC Pembroke answered with two in the top of the sixth to give the game its final 6-3 score.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP – North Georgia 8, USC Aiken 0 (6 Innings)
After two quick scoreless innings to start the game Hannah McSwain belted her second home run of the season over the wall in left center to give UNG a 1-0 lead. North Georgia plated two more runs with a two out rally with RBI singles from Heyer and Finch.
 
The Nighthawks added a pair of runs in the fifth as Heyer drove in Hartness from first with a double to left and then came into score later in the inning on a RBI groundout by Finch to stretch the lead to 5-0.
 
North Georgia put together another two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth using two walks and a Hartness single to load the bases for Heyer, who drove a triple into the right center gap to give UNG the 8-0 run-rule walk-off.
 
NOTES
- The PBC Tournament Championship is the sixth in program history for North Georgia and third straight. UNG has nine conference tournament titles overall including three from the NAIA era.
 
- North Georgia has won the PBC Tournament ever year in which it won the regular season title (2009, '10, '11, '14, '15, '16)
 
- Jessica Finch, Stephanie Hartness, and Courtney Poole were named to the All-Tournament team with Poole taking the Most Valuable Player honor.
 
- Poole (49-2) went all 13.0 innings on the day allowing a combined nine hits and two earned runs. The championship game was a two-hit shutout for the UNG ace, in which she struck out nine of the 20 batters that she faced.
 
NEXT UP
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will take place on Monday, May 2 at 10 a.m. The Nighthawks, who are currently ranked No. 1 in the Southeast Region are expected to host a Regional on May 5-7. More details will be made available on UNGAthletics.com following the selection show.