COLUMBUS, Ga. – The No. 3 University of North Georgia (UNG) softball team split a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader with Columbus State on Saturday, using an offensive outburst to take game one before dropping the second.
Game One: North Georgia 11, Columbus State 3
North Georgia erupted for 10 runs in the first three innings and cruised to an 11-3 victory in the opener.
The Nighthawks wasted no time jumping in front, plating four runs in the first inning.
Marycille Brumby delivered a two-run double to center before
Morgan Martin followed with a two-run home run to right, giving UNG a 4-0 lead.
North Georgia added two more in the second inning on a pair of Columbus State errors to extend the advantage to 6-0.
After the Cougars got on the board in the bottom half of the second, the Nighthawks broke the game open in the third.
Sydnee Reaves launched a three-run homer to right, and
Carleigh Knowles added a solo shot later in the inning to push the lead to 10-1.
Columbus State answered with two runs in the fourth, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
Journey Roberts capped the scoring in the sixth with an RBI single.
Brumby and Martin each recorded two hits and two RBI, while Reaves drove in three runs. In the circle,
Caroline Conner (7-1) picked up the win, tossing three innings in relief.
Game Two: Columbus State 9, North Georgia 1
Columbus State used a pair of big innings to earn a split, defeating North Georgia 9-1 in the second game.
The Cougars broke the game open in the third inning, scoring five runs on four hits and taking advantage of a Nighthawk error to build a 5-0 lead. Columbus State continued to add on in the fourth with three more runs and pushed the margin to 9-0 with another run in the fifth.
North Georgia's lone run came in the fourth inning when
Carleigh Knowles connected on a solo home run to center field.
Sydnee Reaves,
Morgan Martin and Knowles each recorded a hit for the Nighthawks.
Chloe Poss (18-5) was charged with the loss after allowing five runs in two innings of work.
North Georgia returns to action April 17-18, hosting Flagler in a Peach Belt Conference series at Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium.
