Atlanta transplant Francesca Battistelli nabbed female vocalist of the year after performing a tribute to Sandi Patty with her fellow nominees.

Clad in a sparkly dress, her hair in a side bun, Battistelli accepted the award and said she really didn’t know what to say.

“Thank you to the Lord — he’s the reason we’re all here. Thank you guys for supporting Christian music,” then added with a smile and glance at her trophy, “Yay!”

Photo: Melissa Ruggieri

About the same time Battitstelli was winning, Kenny Rogers, who performed with Point of Grace earlier in the show, came backstage and said he was thrilled that the Doves were being held in Atlanta, where he lives.

He’s also a huge fan of the Fox Theatre and praised its onstage acoustics.

“The parking kind of sucks, though,” he said with a grin.