DAHLONEGA — The North Georgia baseball team got back in the win column with a doubleheader sweep of UNC Pembroke Saturday. The Nighthawks won game one 9-6 and then routed the Braves 14-3 in game two.
GAME ONE
Freshman Steven Bower pitched seven strong innings in his seventh start of the season, giving up just three runs on six hits while striking out three.
Bower got run support early as Sam Tidaback put the Nighthawks on the board in the first, singling up the middle to score Connor Hoover. Erick Delgado brought home the second UNG run in the second inning on an RBI groundout. Tidaback brought home Hoover again in the fifth to give North Georgia a 3-0 lead.
The Braves tied it in the seventh with two unearned runs coming after a Nighthawk error. Roberto Rivera earned the first RBI of the innings, scoring Nolan Pierce to make the score 3-2. Nick Debo brought home Nick Salisbury in the next at-bat to tie the game.
Tidaback wasted no time in retaking the lead, homering to left field in the bottom of the seventh. UNCP took its first lead of the game a half inning later as Drew Beaver hit a two-run homer to lead 5-4.
North Georgia answered with five runs in the bottom of the eighth, highlighted by Tidaback's bases-clearing double that scored three runs for UNG.
GAME TWO
North Georgia again scored in the first inning, putting three runs on the board. Two of the three scored on a wild pitch as Trevor Sams and Steven Tomlinson crossed home plate on the play.
UNC Pembroke scored its three runs in the third and fourth innings. The Braves put up two in the third, highlighted by Debo's RBI single up the middle. C.J. White brought home Hayden Buffkin in the fourth to tie the game.
Sams responded with a RBI single in the fifth to retake the lead for UNG. He would also hit a two-run home run to left field in the seventh, an inning that UNG put five runs up and batted around.
UNG scored three more in the eighth inning. Josh Profit brought two runs home on a RBI double to left center to finish off the scoring.
NOTES
- UNG is now back to .500 in Peach Belt play at 6-6. The Nighthawks are 13-8 overall.
- North Georgia matched its season high in runs scored in game two. UNG scored 14 against Kentucky Wesleyan on Feb. 13.
- Two relief pitchers earned wins for the Nighthawks on Saturday. Taylor Keinat earned his first win of the season in game one with 1.2 innings of relief. Chris Cobb got his second win in five innings of relief where he struck out eight. Jacob Jones was credited with a save in game one, his first of the season.
- Tidaback led the Nighthawks in game one at the plate, going 4-for-5 with six RBI. Sams went 3-for-3 in game two with four RBI.
NEXT UP
The Nighthawks start a four-game spring break road trip with a non-conference affair at West Georgia on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. in Carrollton.
