For the first time since 2022, the No. 10 University of North Georgia Softball team had to travel on the road for an NCAA Super Regional. Today, they played old Peach Belt Conference rival and No. 2 team in the country, Francis Marion University.
These two teams last met in the 2024 DII sub-regional, in which North Georgia took two out of three from Francis Marion.
Game one started off hot for the Nighthawks. Right from the get-go in the top of the first, UNG recorded two hits and one run. Sydnee Reaves led off with a double, and Natalie Ray knocked Reaves home.
The Patriots would answer right back in the bottom half of the first with a run of their own. A single from Emily Konz and a double from Paige Strickland is what would tie the game up in the first.
In the bottom of the third Francis Marion caught fire scoring three runs, taking a 4-1 lead over North Georgia. Pitching coach Alea Medina opted to take starting pitcher Chloe Poss out for Graci West in the bottom of the third. The lead for the Patriots wouldn’t last long as the Nighthawks answered with three runs of their own in the very next inning. Journey Roberts, Marycille Brumby, Reaves and Ray all contributed in tying the game up at four in the fourth.
Over the next couple of innings, the Nighthawks would struggle offensively. UNG only got two baserunners on base over the next five innings. While the offense struggled, the pitching and defense is what kept North Georgia afloat.
Freshman Graci West, who replaced starting pitcher Chloe Poss in the third, would pitch the rest of the game. West put on a heater and pitched an impressive game. West pitched the remaining seven innings, and recorded 11 strikeouts, walking only three batters, and giving up no runs.
“Just kudos to Gracie really, and we told her this last weekend, for somebody who hasn’t really got a lot of innings this season for her to come out and do what she did last weekend. She really earned the ball this week… Her head has stayed level, and she’s just gone out there and doing her job. And I think for me and her and the team I think everybody’s playing really well behind her, which gives all of us confidence just in a whole team, like they said, it’s really about every single member of the team, and so no matter who gets called upon whenever your time’s ready, you better be ready. And thankfully, Gracie came up and we put her in the game last weekend and she’s just been dominant.” – Brooke O’Hair, UNG Softball head coach after the game on pitcher Graci West
“It’s been tough because, I mean,n all my life. I’ve like been on the field and then to come here [on the bench] taught me a big lesson of support, be their biggest supporter on the bench, and then now getting the chance to play. I’m just thankful for God for the opportunity, really, but it’s been awesome,” said West.
Game one would be tied up at four and would remain tied at the end of the seventh. Both teams would end up playing the second-most amount of innings this season, with ten. Both the Nighthawks and Patriots had opportunities early on in extra innings to put some runs up on the board, but both were stifled by good pitching.
The tenth inning would end up being the last. Chloe Poss led things off for UNG in the top of the tenth, where she would be hit-by-pitch. Kayla Berry would come in to pinch run for Poss. Tagen Leavo-Maisonet singled to right field. Roberts would strike out, and with two runners on, Brumby would single to center field, allowing Leavo-Maisonet to come home for what would be the game-winning run.
Francis Marion almost answered back in the bottom of the tenth with a hit from Peyton Gale and walks to Rylee Gray and Mikaela Goss. Madalyn White, the DII hit leader, then came up too the plate with the bases loaded and UNG needing only one out. She wound up flying out to Ray in left field to end the game.
Reaves, Brumby and Ray all had a multi-hit game. Ray, who recorded three hits in the game, felt rewarded after the game coming off a season of not playing in the year prior.
“It feels great, and I know what it feels like to sit out and watch all my teammates, and it’s a heartbreaking feeling, but it feels really good and rewarding for all the rehab I put into this to be able to come out here and help my team,” said Ray.
UNG is now one win away from advancing to the NCAA DII Softball National Championship in Chattanooga, TN.
The Nighthawks and Patriots will face off again Friday, May 16 at 1 p.m. in Florence, SC, in what could decide who will advance to Chattanooga.
