DAHLONEGA – The No. 10 University of North Georgia (UNG) softball team finished the 2025 Peach Belt Conference Softball Tournament as the Runner-Up after a 7-4 loss to Georgia Southwestern (GSW) at Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park Sunday.

The top-seeded Nighthawks began the day Sunday in the fourth inning of a semifinal matchup with fifth-seeded Lander. The game originally began on Saturday but was postponed in the fourth inning due to inclement weather in the Dahlonega area.

UNG ended play Saturday with a 3-0 lead over the Bearcats thanks to a solo home run from junior center fielder Sydnee Reaves and RBI singles from freshman second baseman Jenna Miles and redshirt sophomore right fielder Tagen Levao-Maisonet.

After scoring in each of the first three innings Saturday, the Nighthawks continued the trend Sunday thanks to a fourth-inning three-run homer from freshman catcher Carleigh Knowles. 

UNG took a 6-0 lead into the sixth inning and then added another run as junior outfielder Natalie Ray singled to left field to score another run. 

Lander made a comeback bid with four runs in the top of the seventh inning, but the Nighthawks held on for the win to advance to the championship game. 

In the championship showdown with seventh-seeded GSW, UNG had its work cut out for it as the Hurricanes had already strung together a pair of upsets over the second and third seeds in the tournament to advance to the finals.

Ashlyn Rogers set the tone for GSW in the first inning with a two-out solo home run to grab an early lead. 

The Nighthawks responded in the bottom of the inning with a lead-off double from Reaves. She advanced to third on a groundout and then executed a double steal perfectly as Knowles snagged second base after a two-out walk. 

The game remained knotted at 1-1 until the fourth inning when Rogers stepped up the plate for the second time. On her second swing of the day, Rogers slammed another home run over the left field wall to take a 2-1 lead.

Her big swing sparked a rally for the Hurricanes in which they plated three more runs to pull ahead 5-1. 

After a lead-off single from Levao-Maisonet in the bottom of the fourth, GSW held all the momentum in the late stages of the game by retiring six straight Nighthawk hitters.

UNG laid the groundwork for a comeback in the bottom of the sixth inning as three straight singles loaded the bases with nobody out. 

A single from sophomore third baseman Journey Roberts scored a run to make it 5-2. Senior catcher Sadye Johnson then pinch hit a sacrifice fly to center field to pull the Nighthawks within two runs at 5-3.

GSW got out of the inning still with a lead. In the top of the seventh, junior pitcher Chloe Poss kept momentum on the side of the Nighthawks by retiring the first two Hurricanes hitters in the frame. However, a walk opened the door for the fourth plate appearance of the day from Rogers. She connected on another home run to provide two major insurance runs for GSW.

UNG added one final run in the last of the seventh inning, but the Hurricanes held on for their first PBC Tournament title in program history. 

Now the Nighthawks will await the announcement of the 2025 NCAA Tournament field from the Selection Committee Monday, May 5 at 10 a.m. UNG entered the PBC Tournament as the second-ranked team in the Southeast Region. 

The top two seeds in the regional tournament will host three other teams in one half of the regional bracket. From there, the two remaining teams of the double elimination tournament will play a Super Regional series at the site of the highest remaining seed. 

The Nighthawks are looking to host part of the Southeast Regional for the 12th consecutive season this year. The 2025 Selection Show will air live on NCAA.com at 10 a.m. Monday.