The game, originally slated for Friday evening, was postponed to Saturday due to heavy rain in the Dahlonega area that delayed the tournament schedule.

Despite the result, USCB put together a composed performance. The Sand Sharks outhit North Georgia 6-4 and created several scoring opportunities but left nine runners on base. Senior left-hander Cierra Kinlaw (12-13) delivered a strong final start, going six innings and allowing one earned run on four hits with four strikeouts. Her counterpart, Angelina Badalament (20-5), went the distance for North Georgia with a complete-game shutout, striking out four and walking one.

The opening frames featured early traffic on the bases. In the second inning, USCB strung together back-to-back singles, but Badalament retired the next three batters to escape. North Georgia responded with a pair of base runners in the bottom half, but Kinlaw worked out of the jam with a pop-up to end the inning.

The pivotal moment came with two outs in the third. After Saria Simmons made a highlight-reel catch—slamming into the right field wall to take away extra bases—Ray followed with a solo home run to left, giving the Nighthawks a 1-0 lead.

Kinlaw was steady from there, limiting UNG's chances and giving her team every opportunity to respond. USCB's best scoring opportunity came in the fifth. Simmons reached on an infield single, Goodwin dropped a blooper into center, and pinch hitter Allie McCleer added another infield hit to load the bases. The rally ended on a pop-up to second.

In the sixth, the Sand Sharks again moved runners into scoring position, but Badalament responded with a key strikeout to protect the lead. Kinlaw answered with a 1-2-3 inning to keep it close.

USCB sent the top of the order to the plate in the seventh. After two quick outs, McCleer stepped in and made solid contact—but her sharp line drive went straight back to Badalament, who made the catch to end the game.