UNG season ends in NCAA semifinals
Press Release June 1, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
DENVER – The No. 18 University of North Georgia softball team saw the 2022 season come to a close Sunday night in the national semifinals, falling twice to Cal State Dominguez Hills.
GAME 1 – CSUDH 8, UNG 6
The Toros got on the board first in the top of the second inning, scoring three runs off a pair of RBI singles to take a 3-0 lead. North Georgia answered in the bottom half as Jaycie Michael scored on a wild pitch to cut into the lead.
North Georgia had their big inning in the third as Mallory Parker forced a Toro error that scored a pair of runs to tie the game. Two batters later, Michael came through with a RBI triple and then scored on the throw in to the pitcher to give UNG its first lead of the day. The inning was capped by a RBI groundout that pushed the lead to 6-3.
Cal State Dominguez Hills responded in the fourth, tying the game on a RBI double and RBI single before the Toros scored a pair in the top of the seventh to take game one.
GAME 2 – CSUDH 7, UNG 5
The Toros again struck first, plating a run in the bottom of the first on a RBI single, but the Nighthawks responded with a Madi Perry infield single in the second that tied the game. UNG took the lead in the second inning on a Hannah Forehand sacrifice fly, but CSUDH answered in the fourth, taking the lead on a RBI single before a three-run homer pushed the Toro lead to 6-2.
Georgia Blair started to cut into the lead in the sixth with a two-run blast, but the Toros found another run in the bottom in the sixth off a RBI double, extending the lead to 7-4. North Georgia scored in the seventh on a Forehand RBI single and had the tying run at the plate, but could not push another run across as CSUDH punched their ticket to the championship series starting tomorrow.
NOTES
– North Georgia finishes the season with a record of 49-18, marking the 12th time in the last 14 years with 40+ wins in a season.
– Perry extended her hitting streak to 13 games, going 3-for-6 in the doubleheader.
– The Nighthawks are national semifinalists for the second consecutive year.
UNG beats Lincoln Memorial, 4-1 heads to Denver for NCAA Division II tournament
Press Release May 23, 2022
DAHLONEGA – Despite losing the first game of the day, the No. 18 University of North Georgia softball team showed their resiliency, grinding out a 4-1 extra innings win over Lincoln Memorial to punch their ticket to Denver and the 2022 NCAA Division II Softball Championship to begin next week.
GAME 1 – LMU 3, UNG 1
Lincoln Memorial did all their damage in the first inning, capitalizing on a pair of hits and a Nighthawk error to score three runs in the frame. Sierra Hucklebee got it started with a single through the left side before McKenzie Henry doubled to score the other two runs.
North Georgia had their opportunities but only broke through once as Jaycie Michael brought home UNG’s lone run of the game in the sixth on a RBI double to left center.
GAME 2 – UNG 4, LMU 1 (8 inn.)
The Railsplitters and Nighthawks traded blows early but neither team found the scoreboard until LMU scratched a run across in the fourth on a Henry single up the middle. North Georgia answered immediately to tie the game up as Haley Cummings singled back where it came from.
After neither team could break through in regulation to end the game, North Georgia finally had the bats wake up in the eighth as Hannah Forehand singled home a run before Michael blasted her first collegiate homer over the right field wall to take a 4-1 lead.
NOTES
– This is the seventh time in program history that North Georgia will advance to the national final site in the NCAA era. It is the first time the Nighthawks have gone in consecutive years since going back-to-back-to-back in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
– Michael went 4-for-6 at the plate on the day.
– UNG is now 2-3 in extra inning games this season.
NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will open play in the NCAA Division II Softball Championship on Thursday. With Super Regional play extending into Saturday as the Atlantic Regional was washed out on Friday, the remaining eight teams will be reseeded prior to game times being announced over the weekend.
UNG men’s tennis team advances in NCAA Division II tournament
Press Release May 9, 2021
DAHLONEGA – On a breezy Friday afternoon, the No. 11 University of North Georgia men’s tennis team took down Mount Olive in the opening round of the 2021 NCAA Division II Men’s Tennis Southeast Regional, 4-0, at the UNG Tennis Complex at Yahoola Creek.
After a slow start out of the gates, North Georgia took the doubles point by virtue of a 6-2 win by Zach Waldow and Joaquin Benoit and a 6-3 win by Giulio Sassi and Jared Bones.
The Nighthawks kept the momentum up in the singles portion of the match, winning every set that finished. Sassi got UNG its second point of the day with a quick 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 5. Waldow followed shortly behind with a 6-4, 6-2 win on the fourth line before Daniel Ostap clinched the match with a 6-2, 6-4 win on the third line.
Tim Kiehl was a game away from finishing, up 6-3, 5-4 on the sixth line when the match finished, while Benoit was up, 6-1, 5-5. Ryan Gaskin was in the tightest matchup, but was leading by a set when the match concluded, 7-5, 0-2.
North Georgia will turn around to face No. 6 and second-seeded Lander tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. at the UNG Tennis Complex in the semifinal round of the regional.