FLORENCE, S.C. -- North Georgia's Katherine Martin delivered a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth and the Saints escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh to top Augusta State 5-2 Sunday afternoon in the championship game of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament at Freedom Florence.

Junior Jessica Thornton smacked her 12th home run of the season and went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. No other player had more than one hit for the Jaguars.

Thornton singled and scored on a throwing error in the top of the first for a 1-0 ASU lead. North Georgia (47-9) answered back in its half of the frame, grabbing a 2-1 lead when Sarah Johnson singled and Pilar Harden jacked a two-run homer to left.

ASU (34-18) tied the game at 2-all in the third on Thornton's two-out, solo shot to left-center. The game remained scoreless until Martin's heroics in the sixth off Jags' reliever Heather Hughes.

The Jags loaded the bases in the seventh on a walk, a fielder's choice and a single by Destiny Echols. But Phillips struck out Thornton to end the game.

Harden paced the No. 3 Saints offensively, going 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored.

Each team tallied six hits and NGCSU committed the only error of the game.

Sarah Phillips (19-4) earned the win with a complete-game effort, striking out seven and giving up just one earned run.

Jags' junior righthander Emily Headrick dropped to 17-6 on the season, allowing four earned runs in 5.0 innings. Hughes worked 1.0 inning and was charged with a run and

ASU was making its first title game appearance since 2007, while North Georgia was playing in the PBC Tourney title game for the fourth consecutive season.

The Jags will now wait for the NCAA Tournament field to be announced. The Jags will likely receive an at-large selection to the NCAA Regionals, which are scheduled for May 13-15.

Conference Tournament MVP:  Ansley Williams (North Georgia)