DAHLONEGA — For the sixth time in as many years, the Peach Belt Conference softball tournament championship will call Dahlonega home as the No. 5 North Georgia softball team came from behind in the championship game to beat Georgia Southwestern, 3-1.
Earlier in the day, the Nighthawks beat Flagler, 4-2, in the semifinal round.
SEMIFINAL - UNG 4, FC 2
North Georgia struck first in the first, loading the bases for Katie Collins, who brought home a run on a fielder's choice to put UNG up, 1-0. The Nighthawks doubled their lead one inning later after Olivia Sinquefield took advantage of a Saint error to score from second on a UNG fly out.
Flagler answered in the fifth with a two-run homer from Anna Dumovich to tie the game, but North Georgia scored the final two runs of the game in the sixth, scoring on a Shelby Hammontree sacrifice bunt and a Cheyanne Mosteller sacrifice fly.
Kylee Smith (26-2) earned the win, going the distance and striking out 11.
CHAMPIONSHIP - UNG 3, GSW 1
The upset-minded 'Canes scored in the fourth to break a scoreless tie on a bases loaded infield single by Chloe Zoeller, but Smith worked out of the jam, limiting GSW to just the one run in the inning.
North Georgia got the run back in the bottom of the fifth on a first-pitch opposite field blast by Collins to tie the game. UNG kept the momentum going in the frame as Hammontree hit a RBI single to plate Sinquefield and give the Nighthawks the lead, 2-1.
Sinquefield brought home the game's final run on a fielder's choice before Smith (27-2) finished her third complete game of the weekend, striking out 12 Hurricanes along the way.
NOTES
- North Georgia has played in 11 of the last 12 PBC Tournament Championship games with a 9-2 record in such games.
- Marley Stowers was named the tournament's MVP, while Smith, Collins and Lexi Duncan were each named to the All-Tournament team. Other members of the All-Tournament team were Young Harris's Morgan Curley; Flagler's Tatum Morgan and Genevieve Mangini; and Georgia Southwestern's Sara Beth King, Shannon Gibson and Kayla Kerr.
- The Nighthawks earn the automatic bid into the NCAA Southeast Regional with the tournament win. UNG was ranked No. 1 in the last regional poll.
NEXT UP
The NCAA Selection Show will be Monday at 10 a.m., which is when the Nighthawks will find out who their next opponent will be. Regional action starts Thursday.
