CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The No. 3 University of North Georgia (UNG) softball team saw its season come to an end Saturday night, falling 7-1 to Cal State San Marcos in the NCAA Division II Softball Championship at Frost Stadium.
The Nighthawks were limited to four hits on the day as Cal State San Marcos capitalized on timely offense to advance in the national tournament.
The Cougars struck first in the second inning with a solo home run. Later in the frame, a sacrifice fly extended the lead to 2-0.
North Georgia threatened in the later innings but was unable to break through against the Cougars' pitching staff.
Carleigh Knowles,
Morgan Martin,
Journey Roberts and
Kaitlyn Johnson each recorded a hit for the Nighthawks, while
Kayla Berry reached base twice via walks.
Cal State San Marcos extended its advantage in the fifth inning, scoring three runs highlighted by a two-run single. The Cougars added two more runs in the sixth on a two-run homer to push the lead to 7-0.
North Georgia avoided the shutout in the seventh inning when
Morgan Martin scored on a throwing error following an
Ava Lunsford flyout.
Chloe Poss suffered the loss in the circle, falling to 24-8 on the season after allowing two runs in two innings of work.
Lila Mullinax tossed 2.2 innings in relief, allowing three runs, while
Caroline Conner worked the final 1.1 innings.
The loss concludes another historic season for North Georgia, which advanced to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship for the second consecutive year after capturing the Southeast Regional and Super Regional titles. The Nighthawks finished the year among the nation's elite, earning a trip to Chattanooga and closing the season with 52 victories.
