GREENWOOD, S.C. | The seventh-ranked University of North Georgia softball team earned a pair of wins in two hard-fought games at Lander Friday afternoon, defeating the Bearcats 7-4 in game one and 6-3 in the second game of the day. The Nighthawks improve to 41-6 overall with the two wins and continue to pace the Peach Belt with a 17-1 mark in conference play.
 
GAME ONE
North Georgia wasted no time getting to work at the plate scoring three runs on two hits and a Lander error, including a double steal by Stephanie Hartness and Meagan May and a Meredith Heyer's RBI triple. The Bearcats took full advantage of a UNG error as Halie Sorrow hit a two-run homer to left center when Courtney Poole should have already been out of the first inning, giving the game a 3-2 score after the first.
 
Stephanie Hartness provided a spark in the top of the fifth with a two-run homerun to center and later in the frame Ansley Phillips plated another run with her RBI single to left that made it a 6-2 game. Lander answered, scoring one run in the fifth and another in the sixth to pull the game within two. UNG would get one run back though with a squeeze play in the seventh as Katie Block got down a sacrifice bunt to bring home Brittani Crawford from third to make it a 7-4 North Georgia lead.
 
GAME TWO
Katie Block got the scoring affair started in the top of the second with her second home run in the last three games, a two-run blast down the left field line. Kali Turner picked up her first extra-base hit as a Nighthawk with double to center that plated Whitney Worth, then Turner came home to score on a double to right field that gave UNG a 4-0 lead.
 
The double steal magic worked again for the Nighthawks in the third as Heyer stole home in the third to extend the lead to 5-0.
 
Lander made an attempt at the comeback late with a solo homer in the fifth and a two-run single in the sixth, but that is all the Bearcats could score. Jessica Finch picked up a sacrifice fly RBI in the seventh to give the Nighthawks the 6-3 lead that proved final.
 
NOTES
- Courtney Poole (40-2) earned two more wins in the doubleheader with 14 strikeouts in 14.0 innings pitched.
 
- Meredith Heyer was a near perfect 5-for-6 on the night with four runs scored and one run batted in. She also earned a walk and a stolen base.
 
- North Georgia improves to 23-1 all-time against Lander.
 
STAT OF THE DAY
23 – UNG combined for 23 hits in the two games. The Nighthawks have earned 20 or more hits in four of their nine PBC doubleheaders this season.
 
NEXT UP
North Georgia will play its final road game of the regular season on Sunday, traveling to USC Aiken for a twin bill against the Pacers. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.