DAHLONEGA – The No. 1 University of North Georgia softball team swept its conference-opening doubleheader against USC Beaufort Saturday afternoon.
The Nighthawks edged out a 4-1 victory in the first game thanks to a late rally. In game two, UNG rode the back of senior pitcher Tybee Denton to an easy 8-1 win.
UNG moved to 15-2 on the season and 2-0 in PBC play with the pair of wins. The Nighthawks will look to extend their seven game win streak tomorrow against the Sand Sharks.
The Nighthawks and Sand Sharks will finish their conference opener series tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 25 at 12 p.m. from Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park.
Game 1: North Georgia 4, USC Beaufort 1
In the Peach Belt Conference opener for both teams, neither were able to get rid of the zeroes on the scoreboard until the fifth inning when USC Beaufort scored off a double from junior utility player Jaden Goodwin.
With two outs in the inning, freshman outfielder Saria Simmons grounded a single through the left side of the infield to reach base. Using her wheels, Simmons scored all the way from first base on the ensuing double from Goodwin, making it 1-0 Sand Sharks.
UNG answered the bell in the bottom half of the inning with a two-out rally of its own.
Facing an empty base path, senior outfielder Mariah Wicker belted a home run to left center. The 2023 Peach Belt Conference Tournament MVP and lefty went to the opposite field for her first long ball of the season.
Following in Wicker's extra base footsteps was senior infielder Sophie Mooney as she roped a double to right field.
Mooney's knock marked her nation-leading tenth double of the season. For good measure, she added another double in game two.
Just one batter later, senior outfielder Mallory Parker brought Mooney home with a single to give the Nighthawks their first lead of the game, 2-1.
It was a lead they would not relinquish.
In the bottom of the sixth, UNG added a pair of insurance runs thanks in part to a double from junior outfielder Jolie Lester.
In the top of the seventh inning, holding a 4-1 lead, Mooney then took over in the circle for the Nighthawks.
She breezed through the USC Beaufort batters for a 1-2-3 inning, recording her second save of the season in the process.
Game 2: North Georgia 8, USC Beaufort 1
Denton was the main character in UNG's story during the second game.
After throwing a five-inning perfect game against King on Wednesday, Denton flirted with another no-hitter against the Sand Sharks.
It wasn't until the fifth inning would USC Beaufort get its first hit of the game. By then the Sand Sharks were already trailing 5-0.
The Nighthawks got two runs in the first behind Mooney's aforementioned eleventh double of the year. She later came around to steal home, contributing to both UNG runs in the first inning.
The Nighthawks gained another two runs in the third with senior catcher Georgia Blair singling in Parker and coming around to score a few batters later on a ground out from senior infielder Gracie Mixson.
The Sand Sharks earned their lone run of the second game with a solo home run from senior infielder Devon Weller to lead off the sixth inning.
UNG junior infielder Grayson Perry answered with a solo home run of her own in the bottom half of the inning. The dinger was Perry's first this season.
The Nighthawks added one more run later in the inning to cap off the 8-1 win.
