MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Taylor Gerhart paced the fifth-seeded UNC Pembroke softball squad with three hits and two runs batted in Saturday afternoon, but No. 5-nationally ranked North Georgia used five extra-base hits to power past the Braves in the Peach Belt Conference semifinals at the Peeler Complex in Milledgeville.
The Braves (29-24-1) wrap up a magical season that saw them advance to the conference semifinals for the first time in program history and win the most PBC games since 2008. UNCP capped off back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1991-92 and put four players on the all-conference squad for the first time in eight years.
The No. 1-seed Nighthawks (49-6) advance to the league championship game, attempting to win their third-consecutive PBC tournament title and six of the last eight.
North Georgia struck first in the latter half of the opening frame when league player of the year Stephanie Hartness sent a solo home run to center field. The Nighthawks doubled the advantage on an RBI double two batters later.
The 2-0 UNCP deficit did not last long, as Gerhart blasted her seventh long ball of the season to lead off the second, cutting the UNG lead in half.
Hartness struck again in the third with her second solo shot of the day and North Georgia scored a fourth run with an RBI triple later in the inning. The lead stretched to 6-1 in the fifth, as the Nighthawks plated two unearned runs after a UNCP miscue.
The Black & Gold fought back in the sixth, aided by Gerhart's third base knock, a two-bagger that pushed Whitney Jackson home. Gerhart then scored on a Toni Nelson sacrifice fly, Nelson's 31st RBI of the season.
Outside of Gerhart's perfect performance at the dish, Jackson and Savannah Melvin each recorded one hit. Gerhart's effort pushed her season average to .348, third on the squad. Abbey Walters and Jamie Johnson topped UNCP in batting average at .396 and .363, respectively.
Senior Katie Saunders (16-13) started in the circle for the Braves, tossing two innings and surrendering three runs on four hits. Walters took over in relief to pitch the final four frames, allowing three hits and three runs (one earned). Both UNCP hurlers struck out one batter and did not issue a walk. Saunders caps off the season with a 3.22 ERA, while Walters pitched to a team-best 2.71 ERA.
UNCP's three seniors, Saunders, Jackson and Morgan Davis, have played their final game in a Braves unform and head coach Brittany Bennett was quick to recognize the impact the trio has made on the Black & Gold program.
"I can't express how much I love the three girls that represent our senior class," Bennett said. "They have sacrificed so much during their time in a Braves uniform. Katie, Whitney and Morgan have set the tone for what leadership looks like and showed this team that the hard work pays off."
Bennett knows the impact will stretch far beyond the 2015-16 season.
"Our seniors have laid the foundation for future teams and we will always know they were the reason UNC Pembroke softball is back on the map," she said.
