DAHLONEGA – The No. 8 University of North Georgia softball team raced past fourth-seeded Flagler to a 9-0, five-inning win in the 2024 Peach Belt Tournament semifinals to advance to the tournament championship for the tenth consecutive time. As the top seed in the tournament, the championship round will remain in Dahlonega at Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park as UNG will host the final series.

Sunday's rematch with the Saints started as a pitching duel between Saints starter Rachel Hester and Nighthawk senior Tybee Denton. 

Denton rolled through the first two innings, keeping Flagler off the board by striking out four of her first seven batters. She totaled seven strikeouts on the day, surpassing the career mark of 500 strikeouts in her four-year career with the program. Denton has now recorded 502 total strikeouts in the circle for UNG.

Hester also cruised through the first two innings, allowing just two base runners. 

Fortune changed in the third inning for the Nighthawks after a defensive miscue opened the door to a six run inning.

Middle infielders Rylie Moody and Katie Ward each got on base to start the frame. Then senior catcher Georgia Blair reached on a fielder's choice to short. Flagler shortstop Sydney Stewart went home with the ball in an attempt to beat Moody at the plate but the throw was errant, allowing Ward and Blair to each take an extra base.

A sacrifice fly from senior center fielder Mallory Parker brought Ward home on the next at bat, making it 2-0 Nighthawks.

Senior right fielder Madison Simmons then sharply singled to left to score Blair. 

Sophomore first baseman Marycille Brumby then walked, bringing up junior designated player Grayson Perry. Her single up the middle resulted in a play at the plate that scored Simmons. As the throw got away from Saints catcher Emily Ricci, Brumby made a hard turn around third before retreating back to the bag. Then the throw to third to try to get Brumby skipped away from Flagler infielder Mackenzie Smith as Brumby jumped up and raced home. 

Brumby would've been out at the plate for the final out of the inning but it was ruled that Ricci blocked the plate, allowing the run to score and making it 5-0. 

The Nighthawks added the final run of the frame on a line drive single off the center field wall to make it 6-0.

In the top of the fourth, Denton recorded her sixth and seventh strikeout to end the inning. As her team went to bat in the bottom of the inning, she had still not given up a hit. 

In the fourth, Blair padded the lead with an RBI double to bring home sophomore pinch runner Caroline Branch. A single from Simmons two at bats later would score Blair making it 8-0. 

UNG tallied one more unearned run in the fourth after Stewart's throw pulled first baseman Hannah Smith off the bag, allowing Perry to reach and a run to score with the bases loaded. 

Flagler finally got its first hit of the game in the lead off spot off the fifth. However, Denton worked out of the inning without allowing a run, recording her second shutout of the postseason and conference-leading 10th scoreless outing this year. She ended the day with just two hits allowed while striking out seven Saints hitters. 

The Nighthawks now await the winner of seventh-seeded Georgia Southwestern and second-seeded Columbus State. They will face the winner between the Hurricanes and Cougars in the first game of a best-of-three series in Dahlonega on Friday, May 3.