DAHLONEGA — Parker Morrison struck out 13 Patriots as the University of North Georgia baseball team opened up the Peach Belt series with Francis Marion with a 5-2 win Saturday evening at Bob Stein Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park.
FMU got on the scoreboard in the top half of the first as Leniel Gonzalez homered to left field to give the Patriots a 1-0 win. North Georgia answered in the bottom of the frame by tying the game up on a bases loaded walk to Jake Arnold. The Nighthawks then took the lead in the same frame on a wild pitch and a two RBI double from Brady Eeles, making the score, 4-1.
Bill LeRoy kept it going in the second inning on a RBI double to left that scored Andres Perez to push the score out to 5-1. FMU scored the final run of the game in the sixth on a Will Hardee homer.
NOTES
- Morrison's 13 strikeouts pushes his Division II lead to 40 strikeouts through his 27 innings of work. He is the only pitcher in the nation to have thrown three complete games at this point in the season.
- Perez and LeRoy went 2-for-4, while Eeles went 2-for-3.
- Saturday's win tied the all-time series between UNG and Francis Marion at 20-20.
NEXT UP
The two teams will meet again tomorrow for a doubleheader at Bob Stein Stadium for a noon first pitch.
