AUGUSTA, Ga.  – After rain washed out the originally-scheduled date on Wednesday, the Jaguars hosted nationally-ranked No. 8 North Georgia and dropped both games to give the Nighthawks the Peach Belt Conference series sweep on Thursday at Jaguar Field.

The Jags (19-7, 5-3 PBC) entered the game in third place in the current Peach Belt standings, two spots behind conference-leading North Georgia (27-5, 8-0). The Nighthawks were on a six–game win streak to start the series and GRU ran into the strikeout leader and earned run average leader in the Peach Belt, Courtney Poole of UNG.

Poole (21-1) recorded her 15th and 16th complete game on the mound and gave up four hits in the shutout win, while tossing four strikeouts. Left-handed junior Haley Birkle made the start for the Jags in each game as well on the mound.

UNG's Kim McMillan singled up the middle in the second at bat of the game and after a sacrifice bunt moved her into scoring position. She scored on an opposite-field single to right for a 1-0 lead in the first inning. It was the only score of the game until the top of the seventh when the Nighthawks used a hit-by-pitch and a double to left to score another.

Lefty Haley Birkle made the game-one start and recorded her 10th complete-game performance of the season, pitching 7.0 innings and surrendering six hits for two runs. Hannah Wilson went 2-3 in the leadoff role for GRU, while Brooke Stephens and Caitlyn Glenn each had one hit in game one.

In the second meeting of the doubleheader, both game-one starting pitchers made the start again on the mound. Birkle gave up two runs in the second to UNG on a sacrifice fly and wild pitch. The Nighthawks added one more in the third and three in the fourth to take a 6-0 advantage.

Birkle (9-6) pitched 3.2 innings and gave up four hits for six runs (three earned), before sophomore Kristen Mills took over.

GRU plated their first run of the day in the fourth inning when Molly Walton scored an unearned run on a shortstop error. In the next inning, Lindsay Stokes homered off the right-field wall to make it 8-2. The Jags bats stayed hot late and Brooke Stephens and Mallory Ferguson knocked back-to-back doubles for an 8-3 game, but the Nighthawks took a final 9-3 win.

The Jaguars host UNC Pembroke this Saturday, March 28 at 2:00 p.m. on Jaguar Field. Due to other home events, there will be no live stats for the doubleheader this Saturday, but follow @GRU_Jaguars on Twitter for updates!

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