CHATTANOOGA – A dream first inning with added insurance in the fifth propelled the No. 2 University of North Georgia past Central Oklahoma (53-8) with a 6-3 victory in Frost Stadium at Warner Park, advancing to the program's second straight NCAA Division II Softball Championship semifinal.
UNG jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first, using aggressive baserunning and timely hitting to earn the four-run advantage. The Bronchos did not go quietly, adding one run in the third and two in the fourth, pulling within one run. North Georgia would find the answer in the fifth, scoring two runs to take a 6-3 lead, holding it for the rest of the afternoon.
Sophie Mooney (W, 10-2) did it all on the day, earning her 10th win of the season, recording three hits in three at-bats and scoring twice, earning the program's single-season record for hits with her third hit. Mooney's day at the plate supplemented a dominant performance inside the circle, throwing three and one-third innings in relief, allowing no runs on just one hit and no walks.
Behind her in the order,
Hannah Forehand continued to add to the nation's leading RBI total, launching a left-field shot in the fifth inning to score Mooney and give the Nighthawks some cushion heading into the late innings. The two-run shot gave her RBI numbers 79 and 80, extending her single-season record for RBIs in a season.
The win moves UNG to 61-6, one win shy of the all-time record for wins by a team, a mark set in 2018.
Next Up
The Nighthawks (61-6) will get a day of rest as six teams in total will battle it out for the two remaining spots on Saturday (May 26), as a matchup against North Georgia awaits in the national semifinals.
