SALEM, Va. — Three hits to leadoff the second inning, paired with stellar pitching in the circle, gave the top-ranked University of North Georgia a 4-0 win over West Chester Friday afternoon at the Moyer Sports Complex in the 2018 NCAA Division II Softball Championship.
After a leadoff double from Sydney Sprague in the bottom half of the second, Alishia Frierson singled up the middle to give the Nighthawks a 1-0 lead. Jordan Deep then stepped in and, after a long at-bat, doubled down the right field line to double the UNG lead.
Three batters later, senior Brittany Gilliam blasted a double to left center to give North Georgia the four-run advantage. From there, Kylee Smith got out of a couple of jams, including a bases-loaded situation in the fourth, setting up Amber Johns to close the door in the seventh and advance in the tournament.
NOTES
- Smith struck out five across six innings of work. She surrendered just one walk and three hits.
- Frierson led UNG at the plate, going 2-for-3 after making her first collegiate start in right field.
- Earlier in the day, St. Anselm walked off Saint Leo with a suicide squeeze play, 4-3.
NEXT UP
The NCAA Division II Softball Championship has revised its playing schedule for tomorrow (Saturday, May 26) due to impending weather forecasted for the area. North Georgia will take on Saint Leo in an elimination game tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. on Field 3 at the Moyer Sports Complex. The winner of that game will take on Southern Indiana at 10:30 a.m. Any North Georgia games tomorrow will be broadcast through the Nighthawk Sports Network YouTube channel.
