FLORENCE, SC – Fourth-ranked University of North Georgia survived a late Francis Marion University rally to claim an 8-6 win and a sweep of Friday night's (April 23) Peach Belt Conference softball doubleheader. The Nighthawks won the opener 12-3.
Francis Marion (10-18, 6-10) will host ninth-ranked Young Harris College for a PBC twinbill on Sunday at 1 p.m. Attendance is limited to 250 and that includes only season ticket holders, FMU students with pre-acquired tickets, and family members of players and staff with pre-reserved tickets. No walk-up game-day tickets will be sold.
North Georgia, winners of nine straight, improves to 31-5 overall and moves into sole possession of first place with a 13-1 mark.
FMU took an early 3-0 advantage in the opening frame of game two, scoring all three runs after two were out. Junior first baseman
Addie May singled back through the box to score junior left fielder
Danielle Karacson. After Patriot starting pitcher
Janecia Hemingway walked to loaded the bases, sophomore shortstop
Megan Matsil ripped a 2-run double to the right-centerfield gap
UNG responded by scoring eight runs over the next four innings to take an 8-3 lead and in the process knock Hemingway (1-6) from the circle. Sophomore righty
Rachel Davis pitched the final 3.1 and allowed only one unearned run on one hit with two strikeouts.
Francis Marion scored once in the fifth – on a long RBI-double to straightaway center field by sophomore catcher
Sarah Harkins – to draw within 8-4. The Patriots loaded the bases with no outs, but could not push across another run.
In the bottom of the seventh, Karacson hit a two-run homer to center that cut the deficit to 8-6. After a fly out, May singled and Hemingway walked to put the tying run on base, but the next two Patriots were retired on a strikeout and a fly out.
Nighthawk senior right-hander Kylee Smith (12-3) earned the win in both games. She tossed 6.1 innings in relief in the second game, and finished the doubleheader with 26 strikeouts. In the process, she set a new PBC career record with 1,213 strikeouts.
Karacson and May both had two hits for Francis Marion in the nightcap, while senior center fielder
Jordan Carlson collected her third hit of the twinbill.
In the opener, Smith pitched six shutout innings and allowed only a fifth-inning bunt single. FMU sophomore right-hander
Taylor Florea (4-7) took the loss as she worked 6.1 innings.
Francis Marion scored all three of its runs in the last of the seventh. Pinch-hitter
Sarah Hilton lace a run-scoring double to left centerfielder to chase home Matsil. Karacson plated the final two tallies with a bases-loaded single back up the middle.
Carlson was the lone Patriot with multiple hits in the first contest going 2-for-2.
UNG shortstop Margaret Simmons, the Peach Belt leader in home runs (16) and RBIs (46), finished the doubleheader 5-for-9 with two homers, five runs scored, and eight driven in.
#4 North Georgia 12, Francis Marion 3 (Apr 23, 2021 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
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U. of North Georgia. 011 031 6 - 12 14 0 (30-5, 12-1 PBC)
Francis Marion Univ. 000 000 3 - 3 4 2 (10-17, 6-9 PBC)
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Pitchers: U. of North Georgia - Kylee Smith; Abbie Crawford(7); Laken Chambers(7) and
Shelby Hammontree; Kate Ashmore. Francis Marion Univ. -
Taylor Florea;
Rachel Davis(7) and
Sarah Harkins.
Win-Kylee Smith(11-3) Loss-
Taylor Florea(4-7) T-2:36 A-71
HR UNG - Margaret Simmons (15); Madison Simmons (6).
Weather: Sunny, 71, Winds SW 10 mph
A. Crawford faced 4 batters in the 7th.
#4 North Georgia 8, Francis Marion 6 (Apr 23, 2021 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
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U. of North Georgia. 013 310 0 - 8 12 0 (31-5, 13-1 PBC)
Francis Marion Univ. 300 010 2 - 6 8 1 (10-18, 6-10 PBC)
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Pitchers: U. of North Georgia - Tybee Denton; Kylee Smith(1) and Shelby Hammontree.
Francis Marion Univ. -
Janecia Hemingway;
Rachel Davis(4) and
Sarah Harkins.
Win-Kylee Smith(12-3) Loss-
Janecia Hemingway(1-6) T-2:28 A-0
HR UNG - Margaret Simmons (16).
HR FMU_SB -
Danielle Karacson (4).
Weather: Clear, 69, Winds SSW 7 mph
