Top-Seeded North Georgia Defeats #8 Queens 2-0

DAHLONEGA, GA – Top-ranked and #1 seed North Georgia scored single runs in each of the first two innings on their way to a 2-0 victory over #8 seed Queens University of Charlotte Friday evening at the 2009 NCAA Southeast Softball Regional.

North Georgia improves to 44-3 overall and wins their 21st straight game, while Queens falls to a game over .500 at 26-25 on the season.

The Saints advance in the winners bracket to face Augusta State University Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

"This time of year you are just trying to survive and move on so that was the big key for us tonight, head coach Mike Davenport said following the victory. Like all of the teams, most haven't played in at least two weeks and we haven't played in three weeks. It was good to get back on the field obviously with the weather being an issue. It was good to get the games in and get game one under our belt and now the tournament just gets tougher from here on out."

Sarah Phillips (33-1) picks up her 30th consecutive victory with the complete game shutout, striking out 10 while only allowing a pair of hits. The sophomore tossed 106 pitches and faced just three batters over the minimum.

Hilary Cox went 2-for-3 on the night, guided a two-out single through the right side in the first inning with the bases loaded to bring Courtney McGuire home for what proved to be the game-winning run.

Kayla Martin brought the crowd to their feet in the second inning, smacking her second home run in as many games, a blast down the left field line, to make it 2-0, a score that held true to the final out.

Queens used a leadoff double by Mary-Lee Guirintano in the fourth inning to put pressure on the Saints, but after a sacrifice bunt, Phillips recorded a pair of swinging strikeouts to turn the Royals away empty handed.

Kasey Knight, McGuire, and Cox all notched two hits in the victory, as the North Georgia offense produced eight hits, while leaving nine runners on base.

Chantel Dodge (16-18) suffers the loss for Queens, recording 6.0 innings and allowing two runs on eight hits, while walking three and striking out four. The freshman threw 118 pitches and faced 29 North Georgia batters.