DAHLONEGA — Trevor Sams hit two homers and drove home five University of North Georgia runs as the Nighthawks defeated Francis Marion 19-3 Saturday afternoon. With the win, North Georgia gets back to .500 in conference play at 13-13 and improves to 24-16 overall.
Francis Marion struck early in the contest, putting two runs on the board in the first inning starting with a RBI single by Randy Loew. Casey Clauss brought home the inning's final run in four pitches later. The Patriots also scored in the third as Loew had another RBI single to right field to put FMU on top, 3-0.
The Nighthawks would go on to score the game's final 19 runs starting in the fourth. After a leadoff single from Sam Tidaback, Sams hit his first shot of the day, a mile-high homer to right field to cut the Patriot lead to 3-2.
UNG took the lead in the fifth, scoring six runs in the frame. Joshua Profit and Tidaback drew back-to-back walks to lead off the inning before Sams hit a no-doubter to center field to take the lead, 5-3. Two batters later, Connor Hoover brought home Steven Tomlinson on his first career triple. After an Erick Delgado double to score Hoover, Devin Gearhart finished the inning with a RBI single to right field to put UNG up, 8-3.
After adding two more in the sixth, UNG put up five runs in the seventh, highlighted by Taylor Jones's bases-clearing double to left center that scored Hoover, Tomlinson and Sams. The final four runs came in the eighth starting with Conner Corbitt's pinch-hit double and ended with a RBI single from Gearhart.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will look for the sweep tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Bob Stein Stadium.
