AMERICUS, Ga. — Georgia Southwestern appeared to have stunned No. 5 North Georgia with a walk-off win in the seventh Friday night, but an appeal overturned the decisive run, and the Nighthawks capitalized late to hand the Hurricanes a 6-4 loss in 11 innings at Lady Canes Field.
GSW (13-16, 2-8 PBC) battled one of the nation's top teams deep into extras behind a gritty performance in the circle, but the momentum swing in the seventh ultimately proved costly.
Early Edge, Midgame Power
The Hurricanes struck first in the opening inning as
Madison Banks tripled down the right field line and came around to score for a 1-0 lead.
After North Georgia (28-5, 8-2 PBC) evened the game, GSW surged back in front in the fifth. A leadoff single ignited the inning before a two-run home run inside the left-field foul pole by
Maggie McDonald (3) gave the Hurricanes a 3-1 advantage and energized the home crowd.
Seventh-Inning Drama
With the game tied in the seventh, GSW lifted a fly ball to right field that allowed the go-ahead run to cross the plate, initially signaling a walk-off victory.
However, North Georgia successfully appealed that the runner left third base early on the tag-up, resulting in the third out of the inning and wiping the run off the board to keep the game alive.
McCard Goes the Distance
Left-hander
Pyper McCard turned in a resilient outing, going all 11 innings while allowing just three earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts over 130 pitches.
After surrendering a two-run homer in the sixth that tied the game, McCard settled in and kept the Nighthawks off the board through the next four innings to force additional extra innings.
Nighthawks Capitalize Late
North Georgia broke through in the 11th, taking advantage of two defensive miscues to plate three runs and seize control.
GSW answered in the bottom half with a solo home run by
Peyton Namyslowski (4) and put the tying run on base, but the comeback bid fell short.
Freshman Breakout, Banks Leads Offense
The Hurricanes totaled 11 hits on the night, led by a standout performance from freshman outfielder
Katelyn Czentnar who collected her first collegiate multi-hit game with three hits in her first start.
Banks continued her consistent production at the top of the lineup, finishing 2-for-3 with a triple and two walks for her team-leading 11th multi-hit game of the season.
GSW also got a two-hit, two-RBI effort from McDonald while a team-leading fourth home run from Namyslowski accounted for the final run in the 11th
Next Up
The series concludes Saturday with a doubleheader at 1 p.m.
