DAHLONEGA – The No. 9 University of North Georgia (UNG) softball team earned its 17th consecutive win Sunday with a 10-1, five-inning demolition of Georgia Southwestern (GSW) at Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park.
The win streak is now the second-longest active streak in the country.
Everything got started in the second inning on Sunday when senior starting pitcher
Angelina Badalament blasted a three-run home run beyond the left field wall in the third at bat of the frame.
With two runners on base, the Hurricanes forced a groundout for the second out of the frame.
Then junior outfielder
Natalie Ray tattooed her fourth homer of the season to quickly make it 6-0. Ray homered twice and totaled six RBI in the series against the Hurricanes. She leads the team in batting average this season at .418.
After Ray, the onslaught continued as a walk and an error opened the door for an RBI single from senior shortstop
Rylie Moody.
Badalament, batting for the second time in the inning, added her fifth RBI of the frame with a double to left field.
She was then brought around to score on a run-scoring single from sophomore outfielder
Tagen Levao-Maisonet that made it 10-0 before the inning was over.
The only run scored the rest of the game came in the top of the fifth inning on a solo shot from GSW as Badalament held the Hurricanes in check with just three hits in her four innings of work.
Freshman pitcher
Graci West entered in the fifth and struck out two batters to end the game.
The Nighthawks will look to continue their winning ways in a road doubleheader at Wingate next week. UNG takes on the 2024 NCAA South Regional Runner-up in Wingate, N.C. on Tuesday, March 18. First pitch in game one is set for 12 p.m.
