DAHLONEGA — The University of North Georgia dropped game three of the three-game series, 8-4, to give Florida Southern the full sweep, Saturday in Bob Stein Stadium.
Florida Southern got on the board early in the first after back-to-back homeruns from Pablo Cabrera and Austin Mauer - both off first pitches, putting the Mocs up, 2-0.
The Moccasins extended their lead by four runs thanks to Hayden Marze's three-run homer and heads-up base running by Jacob Teter.
The Nighthawks came back in the bottom of the sixth to cut the score in half, 6-3. Bill LeRoy started the two-out rally with a base hit up the middle. Two back-to-back walks given to Nick Clarno and Austin Mapes loaded the bases for the Nighthawks, clearing the way for junior Joshua Profit to deliver for UNG.
Profit's two-out, two-RBI double to right center scored LeRoy and Clarno to put the Nighthawks on the board for the first time of the game, 6-2. Jake Arnold came behind him with a hard grounder past the shortstop to score Mapes, cutting the lead in half 6-3.
FSC answered back in the seventh with an RBI double to extend the lead once again, prompting North Georgia's Andres Perez to respond with a homer in the eighth to cut the lead back to three, 7-4. Despite the effort, FSC came back again with a sacrifice fly to finish the game, 8-4.
NOTES
- Jake Arnold went 2-for-4. Andres Perez went 1-for-3 with a run, an RBI, and a homer.
- J.J. Niekro (2-0) earned the win for the Mocs, while Brock Carter (0-1) was saddled with the loss. Seven North Georgia pitchers saw action on the mound in the game.
- This was the first time North Georgia has been swept in a series since the USC Aiken series back in 2016.
NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will play another three-game weekend series against Trevecca Nazarene starting Friday, February 16, at 4 p.m. at Bob Stein Stadium.