Monday, May 23, 2005

NORTH GEORGIA PULLS FIRST UPSET 
IN ROUND OF EIGHT  

DECATUR , Ala. – North Georgia College & State University earned the first upset in the round of the eight with a 6-4 win over #2 Houston Baptist University ( Texas ).  North Georgia (45-16) advances to the winner's bracket semifinals to face the winner of the #5 Simon Fraser University (B.C.) and Columbia College (Mo.) at 4:30 p.m. today (Monday).  Houston Baptist (50-4) drops to the loser's bracket to face the loser of the Simon Fraser/Columbia today (Monday) at 4:30 p.m.  

The scoring in this game came late, and when it came, it came in bunches.  North Georgia took the first lead of the game with two runs in the top of the fifth inning on a two-RBI single to left field by Lynsey Thompson .   

Houston Baptist answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame.  Erika Vargas led off the inning with a homerun to left field.  Stacey Davison-Kee followed with a single and then after a sacrifice bunt and a ground-out, found her self at third base.  Cherri Wood then singled up the middle to score Davison-Kee and tie the game.   

After a quick one-two-three sixth inning for both teams, North Georgia was at it again in the top of the seventh as they posted four runs to take a 6-2 lead.  Brittany Cobb and Candace Schubert hit back-to-back one-out singles.  Thompson, who led North Georgia with a 3-for-4 day with three RBI, laced an RBI double to center field to score Cobb.  The next hitter in the person of Annie Ball , North Georgia's clean-up hitter, smacked a three-run homerun to left field.   

The three run homerun by Ball proved to be very valuable as Houston Baptist scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but couldn't Huskies' rally ended there.  Davison-Kee hit a one-out double followed by a two-run homerun by Diana Rychlik to cut the lead to 6-4.  North Georgia's Beth Willis (30-7) retired the final two batters on a pop out and strike out to end her complete game victory.  Laura Hess (13-1) took the loss giving up six runs on 10 hits in her 6.1 innings of work.  Cheri Wood pitched .2 innings of perfect relief for Houston Baptist.