DAHLONEGA, Ga. – No. 3 (
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Top 40) University of North Georgia swept a Peach Belt Conference softball doubleheader Saturday afternoon over Flagler College at the Bob Stein Stadium. The Nighthawks won the opener 10-4, which clinched the regular season conference title, and then took game two, 5-2.
North Georgia improved to 36-8 overall and 19-5 in the Peach Belt. The Nighthawks have won six in a row and took all three games in the series. Flagler fell to 26-22 overall and 12-12 in conference play. The Saints have wrapped up the No. 6 seed in the PBC Tournament, which will be played May 10-13 at Florence, South Carolina.
In the opener, North Georgia wasted little time as it sent eight men to the plate in the first inning and came away with four runs. Steven Tomlinson ended the outburst with a two-run single and was thrown out at second base trying to stretch out the hit.
After the Saints plated a run in the fourth, Connor Hoover doubled in Tomlinson in the home-half to give North Georgia a 5-1 lead.
Igor Baez and
Ja'Kobi Dasher added RBI singles in the next two innings for the Saints, but the Nighthawks erupted for three more in the seventh for insurance.
The 4-5-6 hitters for North Georgia went 8-for-13 with five runs scored and four runs batted in. Bill Leroy paced the 15-hit attack going 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. Conner Corbitt also went 3-for-5 as he was a home run shy of the cycle, scored three runs and he knocked in two runs.
Daniel McCrary (8-1) tossed eight innings and he scattered 11 hits. He allowed four runs, walked one and struck out three. McCrary induced 12 ground outs and seven fly outs.
Dylan Jones led the Flagler offense with three singles.
Jason Moore went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the eighth inning.
Ethan Crout collected two singles and he scored a run.
Michael Maiocco (8-4) pitched five innings, allowed 11 hits and seven runs.
Dante Pagano,
Ethan Jones and
Dustin Dye finished up in relief.
In the second game, Flagler jumped on North Georgia with a two-run third inning.
Frankie Martello hit a solo home run, his first of his career, and
Jake Hathaway knocked in Crout.
The Nighthawks got one of those runs back in the bottom half of the third and then tied the game in the fourth when Kal Dempsey scampered home from third on a wild pitch.
North Georgia took the lead for good the next inning when Connor Hoover led off the fifth with a home run.
Dylan Peppers (6-2) tossed seven innings, allowed five hits and two runs. He struck out 12 and walked two. Jack Fleming pitched a scoreless ninth to pocket his third save of the season.
Michael Bell went 3-for-4 with a double for the Nighthawks. Hoover went 2-for-4 with the home run, two RBI and he scored two runs. Trevor Sams went 2-for-4 with a double and he scored two runs. Leroy singled twice and drove in a run.
Luke Cooksey (3-3) took the loss in relief for the Saints. He tossed 4 1.3 innings, allowed five hits and two earned runs.
Ryan Ashworth started and last three innings before giving way to Cooksey.
Jones collected two single for Flagler. Hathaway singled twice and drove in a run.
Flagler will break for finals week before finishing its regular season at Saint Leo University, May 5-6.
