DAHLONEGA – The No. 1 University of North Georgia softball team swept King in a midweek doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park.
Senior pitcher Tybee Denton threw the first perfect game of her career in the 13-0 win during the second game of the sweep.
The Nighthawks will now prepare for their first Peach Belt Conference contest of the season as UNG will host USC Beaufort on Saturday Feb. 24 for a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m., followed by a single game on Sunday at 12 p.m.
Game 1: North Georgia 9, King 0
The opening game of Wednesday's showdown saw the Nighthawks jump out to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning.
Senior outfielder Mallory Parker belted a solo home run to center field to open the scoring for UNG. The dinger was her second of the season.
Senior catcher Georgia Blair reached base via a walk in the next plate appearance following the home run. Moments later, Blair was in scoring position after stealing second base and advancing to third after the throw deflected off the batter and rolled to the backstop.
Blair's heads up base running allowed her to come home a few pitches later and give the Nighthawks a 2-0 lead.
UNG padded its two-run lead an inning later with three runs in the bottom of the third, highlighted by a two-run single from Blair.
With the scoreboard reading 6-0 in favor of the Nighthawks, UNG had the winning runs on base in the form of sophomore outfielder Caroline Branch and senior outfielder Mariah Wicker.
Senior infielder Sophie Mooney ended the game by blasting her first home run of the season to give the Nighthawks the 9-0 victory via run rule.
Game 2: North Georgia 13, King 0
UNG continued its offensive dominance in game two.
After a successful double steal plated a run in the first, the Nighthawks opened the door with three runs in the second inning.
A five-run third inning that saw 11 hitters step to the plate gave UNG a commanding 9-0 lead.
It was a lead they would never relinquish as Denton was busy throwing a gem on the mound. The Homer, Ga. native was dealing against the Tornado hitters, only facing 15 batters in the five-inning perfect game.
Denton's outing was highlighted by four straight strikeouts in the second and third innings to retire the Tornado in order. She added a pair of K's in the fifth inning to add to her total of six strikeouts for the game, and end the game with a 13-0 win for her team.
Denton's performance marked the fourth no-hitter and first perfect game of her career.
It's the first UNG no-hitter since Denton's own hitless outing in May of last year.
