DAHLONEGA – The No. 1 University of North Georgia softball team earned a third straight victory over Augusta with a 6-2 Peach Belt Conference wwin Monday at Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park.The third consecutive win is one in a long line of 17 straight victories for head coach
Mike Davenport's team. The streak is currently the second longest active streak among all NCAA Division II schools.
Aggressive base running and some late game power from senior outfielder
Mariah Wicker helped the Nighthawks to the four-run victory.
With sophomore pitcher Ansley Gibson on the mound for the Jaguars, the game remained deadlocked at 0-0 until the third inning. It was then that junior shortstop
Rylie Moody grounded out to her counterpart with freshman outfielder
Kaitlyn Johnson scoring from third to make it 1-0.
In the fifth inning, Moody got her second RBI of the day, this time with a sacrifice fly to left field that also scored Johnson, making it 2-0.
As the offense struggled to string runs together, UNG starting pitcher
Kristen Davis was in a groove on the mound. Davis gave up a single to start the game, from that point she struck out seven of the next 10 batters before giving up another hit. In total, Davis sent down 12 batters on the day, tying a career-high. She only allowed one walk and six hits as Augusta added its only two runs of the game in the top of the seventh.
The Nighthawk offense delivered the game's knockout punch with a four-run sixth inning to lead 6-0. In the second at bat of the inning, Wicker smashed a ball to left center field for a two-run blast. The dinger is Wicker's third of the season and second within the last four games.
Sophomore infielder
Katie Ward singled in the next at bat and sophomore outfielder
Caroline Branch followed as a pinch runner.
Branch stole second and advanced to third on a ground out. Then Johnson walked in the most unique way possible.
After taking ball four and heading for first base at a light jog's pace, when Johnson reached the bag she simply turned for second. Gibson had the ball and stood in the circle watching Johnson slowly go for second, but perhaps preoccupied with Branch over at third, Gibson made no attempt to record an out.
Gibson was pulled in favor of freshman pitcher Madalyn Spinks before the next at bat. Davenport decided to pinch hit junior infielder
Grayson Perry. His decision paid off as Perry laced a single back up the middle scoring both Johnson and Branch to make it 6-0.
The Jaguars tacked on a pair of runs in the top of the seventh with a two-run home run from redshirt junior outfielder Lauren Barrett.
Now UNG will head on the road for a non-conference showdown with Auburn Montgomery. The doubleheader series starts and ends tomorrow in Montgomery, Ala. First pitch in game one is set for 1 p.m.
