DAHLONEGA – In the opening game of the NCAA Division II Southeast Super Regional, Journey Roberts and the No. 3 University of North Georgia (UNG) softball team broke through for a late three RBI triple and a 6-5 win over No. 8 Francis Marion on Thursday afternoon at Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park.
The first game of the Southeast Super Regional was nothing short of a back-and-forth battle with four lead changes, capped off by Roberts' biggest swing to move the Nighthawks (50-9, 22-5 PBC) one win away from clinching a spot in the 2026 NCAA Division II National Championships.
Francis Marion (47-12, 23-5 Conference Carolinas) struck first, as Rylie Webster turned a full-count pitch into an RBI double to take a 1-0 lead.
The Nighthawks responded in the bottom of the first. Morgan Martin paid off a leadoff double from Sydnee Reaves by lifting a sacrifice fly to center field to even up the score.
The Patriots used a sacrifice fly of their own in the third to recapture the lead.
North Georgia again responded to the Patriots, this time with the bat of Marycille Brumby. The D2CCA All-Southeast Region first baseman blasted her 12th home run of the season to left field, and the score was knotted up once again.
With two outs on the board, the Nighthawks rallied against the D2CCA Southeast Region Pitcher of the Year Jenna Walling.
Ava Lunsford used her plate discipline to draw a walk against Walling and load the bases for Kaitlyn Johnson. In a seven-pitch battle, Johnson came out on top to draw another walk in a full count to bring Kayla Berry home and give the Nighthawks their first lead.
The 3-2 score did not stay intact for long, as Paige Strickland used an RBI groundout in the fourth to tie the game again.
Francis Marion carried that momentum into the fifth with a two-RBI double to right field to move out in front 5-3. The Nighthawks turned to their bullpen and brought out Caroline Conner, who closed out the inning with a pair of strikeouts to limit the damage to just two runs.
After the Nighthawks could not respond in the home half of the inning, Conner made sure the 5-3 score stayed where it was in the sixth, leaving two runners stranded to give her bats another chance in the bottom frame.
The bottom of the sixth did not start in the Nighthawks' favor, as Walling used just two pitches to force a ground out and a foul out and put two quick outs on the board.
The Nighthawks refused to back down. In another two-out rally, Brumby and Berry stayed composed for a pair of full-count walks, and Martin laced a double to the gap in left center field to load the bases for Roberts.
Roberts', who had already delivered a pair of hits in the opening game of the Super Regional, connected on her biggest hit of the season in the sixth. The Lavonia, Ga. native sent an RBI triple to the warning track in right field to bring all the base runners home and put her team out in front.
All of the sudden, the Nighthawks headed into the top of the seventh with a chance to close out the game. The Patriots were able to get a runner on, but it would not be enough against Conner and the Nighthawks, who used a strikeout and a pair of fly outs to Johnson in left field to clinch the victory.
Conner again stepped up in a big moment during the Nighthawks' postseason run, improving to 13-1 while tossing 2.2 scoreless innings and recording four strikeouts.
Roberts shined at the plate in her biggest game of the year, finishing 3-4 with the game-winning three RBI base knock. Brumby also impressed with three walks against Walling, who had surrendered just over one walk per game during the 2026 campaign coming into the Super Regional.
Francis Marion was led by Webster's three hits and three RBI.
The Nighthawks need one win tomorrow to punch their ticket back to the National Championships in Chattanooga, Tenn. for the second-consecutive season. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m.
