UNG baseball rallies to advance to regional title game

 

THOMASVILLE, N.C. -- The No. 17 North Georgia baseball team fought off elimination twice on Saturday afternoon to advance to championship day of the 2015 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional at Finch Field. The third-seeded Nighthawks edged Wingate, 3-2, before using a Tremayne Toorie ninth inning walk off homerun to eliminate second-seeded Mount Olive.

The back-to-back wins marked the seventh time this season the Nighthawks have won two games in one day and will need to extend that total to eight on Sunday to extend the 2015 season.

North Georgia (38-16) will now face 12^th-ranked Catawba tomorrow (Sunday) at 1:00 p.m. The Nighthawks will have to defeat the top-seeded Indians twice to advance to the 2015 NCAA Division II Baseball Championship in Cary, N.C. on May 23-30 at the USA Baseball Complex.

Game One: North Georgia 3, Wingate 2

UNG scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, rallying for a 3-2 victory over fifth-seeded Wingate.

Connor Hoover was two-for-four with three RBI to lead the North Georgia attack. Steven Tomlinson had two hits and a run scored, while Devin Gearhart scored twice for the Nighthawks.

Michael Godinez was two-for-four with two RBI to lead the Wingate attack. Bill Krebs went two-for-three with a run scored, while Blake Prince was one-for-two, drawing a pair of walks and scoring a run. Josh Clark also had a pair of hits for the Bulldogs.

Wingate looked to take a lead in the third, getting a walk and a double to put runners at second and third with one out. After a popout, a Godinez line drive was gloved by Gearhart at third base.

The Nighthawks got on the board in the bottom of the frame. Gearhart drew a leadoff walk, then moved to second on a sacrifice. He scored on an RBI single from Hoover.

Wingate tied the game with a run in the fifth. With two outs, Krebs started the rally with a single up the middle, then moved to second on a Billings single. Godinez followed with an RBI single to right, making it 1-1. Spitz followed with a towering drive to deep center, but North Georgia center fielder Tremayne Toorie climbed the hill in front of the wall, making the catch with his back to the plate to end the frame.

The Bulldogs took their first lead of the day in the top of the seventh. Prince drew a leadoff walk, then moved to second on a wild pitch. He would score on another two-out RBI single from Godinez, making it 2-1.

North Georgia had the answer in the bottom of the frame. Three consecutive singles through the left side loaded the bases with one out. Hoover then delivered a two-run single up the middle on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, giving the Nighthawks a 3-2 lead.

Prince led off the ninth with a single through the left side, then went to second on a Krebs sacrifice. Pinch runner Brandon Wolf moved to third on a groundout, but North Georgia relieverChris Cobb induced a game-ending flyout for the Nighthawks.

Cobb got the win, moving to 6-0. He tossed 2 2/3 shutout innings, striking out one and walking one, allowing two hits. Hunter Hamilton took the loss, falling to 3-3. He allowed three runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out three and walking two.

Game Two: North Georgia 6, Mount Olive 5

Toorie blasted the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth inning over the left field fence to send North Georgia to Sunday's title game.

Gearhart was two-for-two with an RBI and two runs scored to lead the North Georgia attack. Hoover went two-for-three with an RBI and a run scored, while Bo Edwards added an RBI andTravis Naraine was two-for-three with a run scored.

Rob Shipman had a pair of homers to lead the Mount Olive offense, driving in three runs. Justin Manning had a double and an RBI for the Trojans, while Jason Morozowski went one-for-three with an RBI. Zak Orrison had two hits and a run scored for Mount Olive.

Mount Olive got on the board first in the second. After Brett Lang coaxed a two-out walk, Shipman blasted a two-run shot to right center to make it 2-0.

North Georgia left the bases loaded in the third, while the Trojans left them loaded in the top of the fourth.

The Nighthawks scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie it. A walk and single put runners on first and third, while a balk allowed Gearhart to score. Edwards lifted a sacrifice fly to right to make it 2-2.

The Trojans regained the lead in the sixth when Shipman connected on his second homer of the day and 10th of the year, a solo shot to right center to make it 3-2.

North Georgia responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to regain the advantage. A pair of singles put runners on first and third with one out, while a walk loaded the bases. Gearhart tied the game with an RBI single to right, while Steven Tomlinson would score the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.

Gearhart ripped a double to deep center to start the eighth. He would score on Hoover's RBI single to make it 5-3.

The Trojans answered with two in the ninth to tie it. A walk and back-to-back singles loaded the bases with no outs for the Trojans in the top of the ninth. A Morozowski sacrifice fly plated Tyler Farmer to make it 5-4. Manning then delivered a bloop double down the left field line, plating Orrison from second to tie the game.

Toorie wasted no time, crushing the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth inning over the wall in left, his 14th of the year to give the Nighthawks the dramatic 6-5 win.