PEMBROKE, NC – North Georgia College & State University took advantage of a pair of Francis Marion University throwing errors to score four unearned runs en route to a 5-3 win over the Patriots, Friday afternoon (May 9) in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II Women's Softball South Atlantic Regional.

The fifth-seeded Patriots (35-14) suffered their first loss of the tournament, while sixth-seeded North Georgia (38-13) is unbeaten and advances to Saturday’s championship game at 4 p.m.  Francis Marion will play the survivor of Friday’s night’s UNC Pembroke/Armstrong Atlantic State University contest on Saturday at 1 p.m.  The winner of that game will play in the 4 p.m. title contest.

If North Georgia loses its game on Saturday, a second (if necessary) championship game would be played on Sunday at 1 p.m. The tournament is being played on UNCP's LRA Field.

North Georgia right-hander Sarah Phillips (20-7) allowed seven hits and struck out seven to earn her third win in three days.  FMU sophomore southpaw Michaela Wolf (25-11) suffered the loss.  She allowed 10 hits, but only one earned run.

The Saints took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.  Kaelin Farrington hit an RBI single, a second run scored on a Patriot throwing error, and second baseman Laura Voyles plated the third run with a run-scoring single to right field.

Francis Marion trimmed the margin to 3-2 with single runs in the third and fifth innings.  Shortstop Shannan Tyson accounted for both tallies with an RBI single to left in the third and a run-scoring double to left in the fifth.

The Saints answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to lead 5-2.  Shortstop Kasey Knight scored on a throwing error and pinch runner Heidi Cranford scored on an RBI fielder’s choice by Leslee Smith.

Francis Marion cut the deficit to 5-3 in the sixth when pinch runner Shawn Moore came around to score on a single by Kat Beauvais.  However, Phillips stranded Patriots runners at second and third in that frame when she retired Jessie Alesi on a line out.

FMU’s Lakyn Bendle singled with two outs in the seventh, but Monica Wofford grounded out to shortstop to end the game.

Tyson, Beauvais, and Bendle paced Francis Marion with two hits apiece.

Knight and Smith both had two hits for the Saints.