No. 8 UNG golf team earns NCAA Regional berth
Press Release May 2, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
INDIANAPOLIS – For the second year in a row and the second time in program history, the No. 8 University of North Georgia men’s golf team has earned a bid to the NCAA South/Southeast Regional as announced by the national office Friday afternoon.
North Georgia claimed the No. 4 seed out of the Southeast Regional and will advance to the regional tournament set for May 5-7 at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta, Georgia.
Other teams earning a bid from the Southeast Region include, in order, Carson-Newman, Lincoln Memorial, USC Aiken, UNG, Georgia Southwestern, Limestone, Columbus State, Barton, Queens and King. Flagler’s Mauro Baez, Lander’s Maxime Legros, Newberry’s Tom Bueschges and Erskine’s Alberto Dominguez were the four individuals out of the region to earn qualifying spots.
Out of the South Region will be Barry, Lee, Florida Southern, West Florida, Nova Southeastern, Saint Leo, Lynn, Delta State, West Georgia and Spring Hill. Union’s JJ Zimmer, Palm Beach Atlantic’s Andrew Riley, Embry-Riddle’s Ian Aldarondo and Mississippi College’s JJ Logue were the four individuals to earn bids out of the South Region.
At a minimum, the top three teams and the top two student-athletes not with a team from each regional will advance to the finals May 16-20 at TPC Michigan in Detroit, Michigan. The remaining eight team berths will be allocated based on the regions represented in the prior year’s head-to-head medal play portion of the championships, with the maximum number of teams from a given region capped at seven. The finals will be hosted by Wayne State and the Detroit Sports Commission.
UNG softball completes regular season with spotless home record, 24-0
Press Release May 2, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
DAHLONEGA – The No. 19 University of North Georgia softball team completed the regular season Sunday with a 8-0 run rule win over Flagler, completing the regular season schedule at a perfect 24-0 inside Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park.
The Nighthawks got on the board in the first as Haley Cummings doubled in the gap in right center to plate the game’s first run. North Georgia quickly extended their lead to 3-0 in the second inning off RBI singles from Georgia Blair and Olivia Sinquefield.
UNG put the game away in the fourth, scoring five while batting around. Madi Perry started it off with a double in the gap in left center to score the first run of the inning. Mallory Parker then kept it going with a double of her own to stretch it to a 5-0 lead. After Parker scored on a Saint error, Hannah Forehand and Jaycie Michael each had RBI singles to get to the eight run cushion.
NOTES
– Kristen Davis (14-4) got the win, going four innings with just one hit given up and a pair of walks. She struck out two. Tybee Denton finished the game with two strikeouts in the final inning.
– Michael and Perry were each 2-for-2 in the game.
– The 24-0 regular season home record is the best since going 24-0 in 2011. Those wins included the postseason in the year North Georgia started 51-0.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will be the top seed in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament next weekend at Lander. Bracket and game times will be released by the league Monday morning.
UNG holds off USC Aiken, 9-7
Press Release April 25, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
AIKEN, S.C. – The University of North Georgia baseball team jumped out quickly before holding on late to defeat USC Aiken Sunday, 9-7.
The Nighthawks struck in the top of the first inning, scoring a run off a Josh Sosa single before adding a pair on a Justin Bailey double to take a 3-0 lead. Crews Taylor kept it going in the second inning with a solo homer that pushed the lead out to four.
Will Hardigree sent two more Nighthawk runs to the scoreboard with a homer in the third before Jorge Arispuro gave UNG a 7-0 lead in the fourth on a RBI single. The Pacers homered in the fourth to get on the board, but Mark Tucker answered that homer in the sixth to push the lead back out to 8-1. After a Hardigree RBI single in the seventh, USC Aiken struck for six runs right after the seventh inning stretch, but North Georgia got out of the inning and held the Pacers scoreless the rest of the way.
NOTES
– Jay Pendley (4-2) earned the win, going five innings and fanning four while allowing just a single run.
– Taylor, Arispuro and Hardigree each had a pair of hits.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will head to Bob Stein Stadium for a three game series with Claflin to wrap the regular season next weekend.UNG
UNG falls to USC Aiken, 5-3
Press Release April 23, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
AIKEN, S.C. – The University of North Georgia baseball team fell Friday night at the hands of USC Aiken, 5-3.
The Pacers jumped out of the gates quickly, putting up three runs in the bottom of the first inning. USCA scored on two sacrifice flies and an infield single to take the early advantage. North Georgia answered in the fifth as Josh Sosa sent a ball over the left field wall, scoring two to cut the lead down to 3-2.
USC Aiken matched Sosa in the bottom of the fifth with a two run homer of their own to stretch the lead back out to three runs, but North Georgia responded in the seventh, scoring on a Crews Taylor RBI double. That was all UNG could find though as the Pacers took the series opener.
NOTES
– North Georgia left 16 runners on base and struck out 12 times, five of which were to end an inning.
– Pierce Williams (4-3) was saddled with the loss, going 5.2 innings while surrendering five runs off seven hits. The Nighthawk bullpen of Pete Weil, Caleb Mitchell and Jacob Lassiat held the Pacers to just four base runners off three hits and a walk over the final 2.1.
NEXT UP
The two teams meet again tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m.
UNG finishes third in PBC Championshp Thompson earns All Tournament honors
Press Release April 18, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Evan Thompson earned All-Tournament team honors as the No. 7 University of North Georgia men’s golf team finished third at the Peach Belt Conference Championships Sunday at Sea Palms Resort.
Thompson shot a final round 67 to climb into a tie for fifth, finishing with a 54-hole score of 2-under par. He went 5-under on the front nine, including carding three birdies and an eagle on the seventh, holing out from just over 100 yards.
Stephen Kinsel finished in the top 10, carding a three round total even-par for the weekend to end in a tie for eighth.
The Nighthawks ended with a final round of even-par 284, finishing five shots back of Columbus State who won their first title since 2016 and the seventh in program history. Flagler finished in second with Clayton State and Georgia Southwestern tying for fourth, three shots back of UNG.
North Georgia will now wait to see if they are selected for the NCAA regional as an at-large bid. UNG was fourth in the latest regional rankings.
USC Aiken blanks No. 12 Nighthawks, 4-0
Press Release April 17, 2022
The Pacers did all of their damage in the bottom of the sixth, starting with a bases clearing double that put USCA up, 3-0. Two batters later, USC Aiken used a single to score the fourth run of the contest.
North Georgia had their chances to score, putting runners in scoring position in all but the seventh inning, but could never find that timely hit to plate a run.
NOTES
– With the loss and a Columbus State win, the magic number remains at two to clinch the regular season title.
– Hannah Forehand and Madi Perry each had a pair of hits in the game.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will jump out of conference play Wednesday to travel to Emmanuel. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
UNG drops series finale to Augusta, 9-7
Press Release April 17, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
AUGUSTA, Ga. — A three-run homer by Augusta in the bottom of the eighth gave the Jaguars a 9-7 win over the University of North Georgia baseball team Saturday afternoon in the series finale.
North Georgia jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, using back-to-back homers to leadoff the game from Crews Taylor and Tim Conway. The Nighthawks added on to the lead in the second, putting up five on a Taylor RBI double, a Jaguar error, a Will Hardigree sacrifice fly and a two run single from Riley Frost to take a 7-0 lead.
That would be the last time North Georgia would push a run across home plate. The Jaguars clawed back, scratching a run across in the bottom of the second before plating five in the fourth off a three run homer, a RBI single and a bases loaded walk to cut the lead down to 7-6. Augusta found another three run homer in the eighth that gave them the lead for good.
NOTES
– Justin Bailey went 3-for-5 to lead the Nighthawks at the plate.
– Taylor led off all three games of the series with a solo homer. He has now homered in five straight games.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will hit the road again next weekend to battle USC Aiken, starting Friday night at 6 p.m.
UNG splits softball twinbill at USC Aiken
Press Release April 16, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
AIKEN, S.C. – The No. 12 University of North Georgia softball team split Friday’s twinbill at USC Aiken, winning in the first game before losing in extra innings in the second.
GAME 1 – UNG 9, USCA 0 (5 inn.)
North Georgia had the offense going early and often, starting in the first inning with a Haley Cummings RBI double to take the early 1-0 advantage. The Nighthawks poured it on in the second inning with Olivia Sinquefield plating a pair on a single before Madison Simmons brought home Sinquefield on a single of her own to take a 4-0 lead.
UNG added a run in the third before Simmons blasted a solo homer over the right field wall in the fourth. The Nighthawks plated three more in the fifth off a Mallory Parker RBI single, a Pacer error and a Jolie Lester RBI single to get to the final score.
Kristen Davis (11-2) tossed a one-hitter, allowing just five base runners while fanning three.
GAME 2 – USCA 3, UNG 2 (8 inn.)
The Pacers were the first to the scoreboard in the nightcap, plating a pair on a two run homer in the third. North Georgia tied it up in the fifth on a Georgia Blair solo homer and a sacrifice fly from Sinquefield, ultimately forcing an extra inning as neither team could find another run in regulation.
After a perfect top of the eighth for USCA, the Pacers got a one out walkoff homer to earn the split.
NOTES
– North Georgia’s magic number for clinching the regular season title is at two.
– Lester finished the day 5-for-8 at the plate.
NEXT UP
The two will wrap up the series tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m.
West Florida outlasts Nighthawks, 8-6
Press Release April 16, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia baseball team fell in the final game of a midweek series to West Florida Wednesday afternoon, 8-6.
The Nighthawks jumped out in front in the first inning on a Jorge Arispuro sacrifice before a RBI single from Justin Bailey in the second doubled the lead. West Florida answered by tying the game up in the third inning on a two run homer. Neither team could scratch the scoreboard until the sixth when the Argonauts used a RBI single to take a 3-2 lead.
North Georgia tied it up in the bottom of the sixth when Will Hardigree hit a double to center field that plated the tying run. UWF retook the lead in the seventh inning on a bases loaded walk, but again the Nighthawks tied it up in the eighth on a Hardigree sacrifice fly. The Argos took control in the ninth, scoring four runs in the inning, but UNG had some fight left as Crews Taylor hit a two run homer to cut the lead down to 8-6. The Nighthawks got the tying run aboard, but West Florida got out of the inning to earn a split.
NOTES
– Bailey finished the day 3-for-3 at the plate, while Hardigree was 2-for-3 in the batter’s box.
– The split was the second in a row in the all-time series, matching the 2019 schedule which was the last time the two teams met.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will open a three game series at Augusta Friday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Nighthawks walk off West Florida, 7-6
Press Release April 13, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
DAHLONEGA, Ga. — The University of North Georgia baseball team needed a run in the 10th to extend the game before walking it off in the 11th as they took down West Florida Tuesday night, 7-6.
North Georgia got on the board first with a two run homer from Crews Taylor that sailed over the netting in right field. UNG kept it going in the third with a Josh Sosa RBI double down the line in left that extended the lead to 3-0. After West Florida scored five in the fourth to take a 5-3 lead, Sosa kept his hot bat going in the bottom of the fifth, hitting his first collegiate homer over the wall in left center to tie the game at 5-5.
Neither team could find a run in the rest of the regulation innings, forcing extra frames. West Florida found a run in the 10th inning, using small ball to move a runner around and home on a RBI single, but the Nighthawks answered in the bottom of the inning, moving Jake Arnold around after he reached on an error to tie the game. UNG loaded up the bases in the 11th, setting up Tim Conway for his second walkoff in five days, a single into left field to end the game.
NOTES
– Caleb Mitchell (3-0) got the win in relief, getting the Nighthawks out of the inning in the 11th unscathed.
– Sosa went 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBI and a run scored. Conway, Jorge Arispuro and Will Hardigree each had two hits on the day as well.
– North Georgia has now won six straight extra inning games. UWF falls to 4-3 in extra frames this season.
NEXT UP
North Georgia and the Argos will wrap up the midweek series tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m.
UNG routes Georgia College, 9-1
Press Release April 10, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
DAHLONEGA – The No. 16 University of North Georgia softball team took care of business Saturday afternoon with a 9-1 six inning win over Georgia College.
Madison Simmons opened the scoring in the first with a RBI double to take a 1-0 lead, but the Bobcats answered in the top of the second with a RBI double to tie the game. That’s when the Nighthawk offense woke up, starting in the third inning with a Simmons RBI single that gave UNG the lead. Hannah Forehand kept it going in the frame with a two run homer to extend the lead to 4-1.
Jolie Lester doubled in the fourth, bringing home another run before Haley Cummings hit a towering homer in the fifth to score two more. A Bobcat error in the sixth allowed the final UNG run to cross, ending the game.
NOTES
– Simmons finished the day 3-for-3 at the plate to lead the way.
– Kristen Davis got the win, throwing all six innings, striking out six along the way.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will continue the series with a 12 p.m. doubleheader tomorrow.
Conway’s 10th inning homer lifts UNG to win
Press Release April 10, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
DAHLONEGA – Tim Conway walked it off in the 10th inning with a deep double to right center as the University of North Georgia baseball team took down No. 3 Columbus State Saturday afternoon, 6-5.
Crews Taylor got the scoring started in the fifth inning with a solo homer that made its way onto the playing surface of Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium to take a 1-0 lead. The Cougars answered in the sixth with a solo homer and a RBI single that gave Columbus State the 2-1 lead. North Georgia immediately responded with a quartet of runs, coming off a Will Hardigree two RBI double and a Conway two RBI single to take a 5-2 lead.
After the Cougars tied the game in the top of the eighth on a pair of homers, Conway brought home the game winning run in the first extra inning to send the home fans home happy.
NOTES
– Conway led the Nighthawks at the plate, going 3-for-5.
– Jake Arnold (4-0) got the win, throwing 2.2 innings of relief and striking out three. Pierce Williams started the game, going six innings and fanning five.
– North Georgia has now won each of its last five extra inning games.
NEXT UP
The series concludes Sunday
UNG softball sweeps Georgia Southwestern
Business April 7, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
AMERICUS, Ga. – The No. 13 University of North Georgia softball team finished off their fourth straight Peach Belt Conference sweep, taking down Georgia Southwestern, 6-0, Sunday afternoon.
Madison Simmons got things started in the first, blasting a two run homer to take the early lead. North Georgia kept it going in the third inning as the Nighthawks plated two more off a Haley Cummings RBI double and a Hannah Forehand RBI single to stretch the lead to 4-0.
Jolie Lester pushed a fifth run across in the fourth inning off a sacrifice fly before Cummings singled in the sixth to round out the scoring.
NOTES
– Kristen Davis (8-2) finished out the series with a five hit shutout, striking out five.
– The 13-game winning streak in conference play is the longest since UNG won its final 13 games in league play in 2017.
UNG completes sweep of Young Harris
Press Release April 6, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – The University of North Georgia baseball team saw their offense explode for nine runs in the first inning before having to hold off a late rally by Young Harris to finish off a league sweep with a 10-8 win Sunday.
North Georgia sent 14 batters to the plate in the top half of the first inning, plating nine runs highlighted by two RBI doubles from Jake Arnold in the inning to take the early lead. Young Harris answered back by scoring a run in the first, two runs in the fourth and three runs in the sixth to cut the lead down to 9-6.
Jorge Arispuro hit his third homer of the week in the sixth to get North Georgia back on the board, but the Mountain Lions answered in the seventh with two runs off a RBI single. YHC had the bases loaded in the eighth down 10-8, but couldn’t get a runner home as UNG went on to win.
NOTES
– Josh Sosa (1-0) was credited with the win, throwing 1.2 innings of relief. Zach Green completed the three inning save, fanning three while allowing just one hit and a walk.
– Arispuro and Arnold each finished the day 2-for-5 with three RBI.
– The sweep is the second straight over Young Harris in the regular season.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will be in action at home on Tuesday against West Florida at 5 p.m.
UNG blasts four homers in win over Anderson
Press Release March 30, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia baseball team used a quartet of homers to blow past Anderson Tuesday night, 13-5.
The Nighthawks got the scoring started in the second when Crews Taylor was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to walk in the first run of the game. Four pitches later, Tim Conway hit a grand slam that just cleared the wall in left center to push the lead out to 5-0. After a bases loaded walk and a wild pitch in the bottom of the third pushed the lead to 7-0, Taylor got in on the homer party with a two run moonshot to right that landed on the softball field and gave UNG a 9-0 lead.
Anderson got their first run in the top of the sixth on a RBI single, but the Nighthawks got it right back in the bottom of the inning with a Jake Arnold solo bomb that made the score 10-1. The Trojans scored a run in the seventh on a RBI double and three in the eighth off two sacrifice flies and a RBI single to cut the lead down to 10-5 before Jorge Arispuro finished off the day with a three run shot to left.
NOTES
– Eddie Galatas (3-0) earned the win, scattering three hits and a pair of walks.
– UNG is now 9-0 this season in games where they score in double figures. The Nighthawks are 14-3 in games where they hold their opponents to five runs or less.
– Riley Frost went 3-for-5 at the plate to lead all hitters.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will start a four-game road trip tomorrow afternoon at West Georgia. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.
UNG softball earns split with Lee
Press Release March 30, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
CLEVELAND, Tenn. – The No. 13 University of North Georgia softball team split a doubleheader with Lee Tuesday, falling in the first game before running away with the nightcap.
GAME 1
LEE 6, UNG 5
The Flames took the early advantage by pushing a run across in the bottom of the first, but the Nighthawks answered immediately with a sacrifice fly from Mallory Parker that tied the game at 1-1. After a Lee RBI single in the second, North Georgia again answered in the next frame, this time with back-to-back-to-back homers from Olivia Sinquefield, Madison Simmons and Haley Cummings to take a 4-2 lead.
Lee scored a pair in the bottom of the third to tie it up again at 4-4, but North Georgia retook the lead in the fifth, using a Gracie Mixson RBI single to take a 5-4 lead. Lee would score in the bottom of the fifth on a wild pitch and scratch the game winning run across in the sixth on a RBI double.
GAME 2
UNG 10, LEE 3
North Georgia was the first to the scoreboard in the latter half of the twinbill, scoring four runs in the second inning on RBI singles from Mixson, Georgia Blair and Jolie Lester to take the early lead. After a Flame homer in the bottom of the inning cut the lead to 4-1, North Georgia scored again in the fourth on a double steal and then twice more in the fifth, capped by a Mixson RBI single to take a 7-1 lead.
The Flames scored their final two runs in the bottom of the fifth on a RBI single and a UNG error before the Nighthawks finished off the game with homers from Blair and Sinquefield and a Lee wild pitch.
NOTES
– Jordan Warzynski (1-1) got the decision in both games, including going 4.1 innings in the nightcap, fanning three.
– Cummings finished the doubleheader 5-for-8 at the dish, while Mixson was 4-for-8.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will be on the road Saturday to start a three game league series at Georgia Southwestern.