CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The No. 3 University of North Georgia (UNG) softball team continued its run at the NCAA Division II Softball Championship with a 5-0 victory over Glenville State on Saturday afternoon at Frost Stadium, advancing to the quarterfinals.
The Nighthawks broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning and rode a dominant performance from pitcher
Caroline Conner to secure the program's first win at the NCAA Division II Softball Championship under head coach
Brooke O'Hair.
After
Carleigh Knowles reached on a single,
Marycille Brumby delivered an RBI double to center field to put North Georgia on the board. Three batters later,
Journey Roberts launched a three-run home run to left field, scoring Brumby and
Kayla Berry and extending the lead to 4-0.
North Georgia added an insurance run in the sixth inning when
Kaitlyn Johnson grounded out to bring home Berry, making it 5-0.
Roberts paced the Nighthawk offense, finishing 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Brumby added two hits and an RBI, while Knowles and Johnson each recorded a hit.
Conner was dominant in the circle, tossing a complete-game shutout. She allowed just two hits and struck out eight without issuing a walk, improving to 15-1 on the season. Glenville State managed only two baserunners all game as Conner faced four batters over the minimum.
The victory marked the 100th win of O'Hair's North Georgia tenure and her first NCAA Division II Softball Championship victory as head coach.
North Georgia continues play in the NCAA Division II Softball Championship on Saturday night, facing Cal State San Marcos Athletics at 9 p.m. ET in an elimination game.