COLUMBUS, Ga. – For the ninth consecutive season, the No. 2 University of North Georgia softball team captured the Peach Belt Conference Tournament title, using the long ball to propel the Nighthawks past No. 19 Columbus State 12-2 on Saturday at CSU's Cougar Field.
UNG got off to a quick start, plating six runs by way of three home runs in the first inning to establish the early lead. CSU answered with two of their own in the bottom of the first, but a stout performance inside the circle for
Tybee Denton (W, 17-1) held the Cougars in check for the rest of the afternoon as
Mariah Wicker and
Hannah Forehand added run support for Denton with two home runs each.
Three Nighthawks recorded three or more RBIs in the game as
Sophie Mooney joined Wicker (3) and Forehand (4) as the trio continued their offensive production from the series opener. All three finished with two hits and two runs scored in the game.
Jolie Lester proved to be the ultimate leadoff hitter, tallying three hits and three runs scored in the win, adding an RBI to her totals in the fifth inning to start another scoring spree.
Georgia Blair finished with two hits in her three at-bats to round out the Nighthawks with multiple hits.
Denton finished with a stat line of five innings pitched, two earned runs on just two hits, striking out three with her only blemish, a two-run shot by Hannah Rose Corbin (CSU) in the first inning. The junior from Homer, Ga., settled in after the first, adding four straight scoreless innings to the box score on her way to her 17th win of the season.
Next Up
The Nighthawks (54-6) await their NCAA Tournament seeding, earning the PBC's automatic bid with its win on Saturday while currently holding the top spot in the NCAA's Southeast Region rankings.
