Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 DAHLONEGA, GA. – The USC Aiken softball team dropped a pair of close conference games to No. 1 North Georgia in Dahlonega, Ga. Thursday afternoon. The Saints shut the Pacers out 4-0 in the first game and were able to edge out a 3-1 win over USC Aiken in the second game.

The Saints continued their perfect season to improve to 26-0 on the 2010 season. USC Aiken drops below .500 for the first time in the 2010 campaign falling to 12-13.

North Georgia claimed the first game on seven hits to the Pacers three. Leslee Smith led the Saints with two RBIs going 1-for-3 from the plate while four different Saints crossed the dish to score for North Georgia.

Blair Warren (Darlington, S.C./Florence-Darlington Tech) and Kaylah Hall (Jacksonville, Fla./Edward H. White) led the Pacers at the plate with both going 1-for-2 in the first game. Lindsey Jones (North Augusta, S.C./North Augusta) secured the third hit for USC Aiken going 1-for-3 in the contest.

Junior Sarah Phillips earned the win in the circle for the Saints going seven innings with four strikeouts. She improves to 18-0 for the season.

Senior Kathleen Nichols (Orange City, Fla./Daytona Beach) took the loss for USC Aiken in six innings of work. She falls to 0-5 on the 2010 season.

The second game started off similarly to the first game as the saints jumped out to an early 2-0 lead off a Courtney McGuire home run in the bottom of the first inning.

The top of the third inning saw the Pacers secure their first run of the afternoon when junior Lauren Locklear (Charleston, S.C./Wando) pushed Kellie Hair (Aiken, S.C./Aiken Tech) across the with a shot to second base bringing the score to 2-1.

North Georgia put the game out of reach for USC Aiken in the bottom of the fifth inning when Lauren Dykes grounded out to second base to score Laura Voyles and put the Saints up for good 3-1.

Designated player Kelley King (Chesterfield, S.C./Chesterfield) led the Pacers at the plate going 2-for-3 on the day. Hair and freshman Brandy Bossle (North East, Md./Rising Sun) both went 1-for-2 from the dish with Hair securing the Pacers' lone run on the afternoon.

Phillips continued her perfect season in the second game for the Saints striking out six more batters in seven innings of work. She improves to 19-0 for the season after pitching 14 total innings and fanning 13 batters between the two wins.

Senior Toni Flessate (Goose Creek, S.C./Stratford) suffered the loss in the circle for USC Aiken striking out two batters. She moves to 6-5 for the 2010 campaign.

The Pacers will continue their road trek by traveling to Americus, Ga. for a conference double header against the Hurricanes of league foe Georgia Southwestern on Saturday, Mar. 20. The first game is
scheduled to at 2 p.m. with the second game to follow immediately after at around 4 p.m.