FLORENCE, S.C. | The No. 19 University of North Georgia baseball team scored eight runs in the final three innings for a comeback win against Francis Marion, 11-5, Friday afternoon at Sparrow Stadium. With the win UNG advances to 29-11 and continues to pace the Peach Belt Conference at 19-6 with a full two game lead over second-place Armstrong State.
 
After three quiet innings to start the game, Francis Marion (24-15, 12-11 PBC) got on the board first with a solo homer to right by JD Crowe. The Nighthawks answered in the next frame with an RBI single from Steven Tomlinson and added two more in the sixth with a two-run blast from Andrew Gordon – his team-best 13th of the season – giving UNG the 3-1 lead.
 
The Patriots would rally in the bottom of the sixth plating three runs on a sacrifice fly and two-run single to center, retaking the lead at 4-3.
 
It would be all North Georgia from the seventh on as the Nighthawks scored eight in their final three frames to take the game. Sam Tidaback and Bo Edwards each came up with two-run base hits in the seventh to put UNG up 7-4.
 
FMU scored their final run of the game in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single down the left field line by Zach Paquett, but UNG answered again in the eighth scoring two runs on an RBI walk by Tidaback and a wild pitch.
 
The Hawks would plate two more runs in the top of the ninth with a Connor Hoover two-run single to left center, giving UNG the 11-5 advantage that proved final.
 
Chris Cobb (3-0) picked up the win in relief for UNG, pitching 1.1 innings and helping the Nighthawks out of a jam in the bottom of the 6th after coming in for the starter, Brandon Agar.
 
Taylor Keinat earned his third save of the season helping out of some trouble in the seventh and keeping the Patriots off the board for the remainder of the game, only surrendering one hit in his 2.1 innings of work.
 
The Nighthawks will look to take the series tomorrow with a doubleheader slated for a 1 p.m., start in Florence.