DAHLONEGA | The No. 18 University of North Georgia baseball team split a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader with Montevallo on Saturday, winning the opener 5-4 in dramatic walk off fashion before dropping a 9-4 decision in the nightcap. North Georgia moves to 32-13 overall and 21-8 in conference play.
The two teams will play the rubber game of the series at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow. A victory would clinch the school's first-ever Peach Belt Conference regular season title.
Game #1: North Georgia 5, Montevallo 4 (10 innings)The Nighthawks secured a 5-4 walk-off victory in the series opener when
Connor Hoover and
Ryan Tomita scored on a two-run double by
Kevin Krupp in the bottom of the 10th inning, capping a back-and-forth affair in the first game of the doubleheader.
Montevallo (21-25, 12-16 PBC) scored the first three runs in the game and took a 3-0 lead in the top of the sixth inning.
North Georgia plated one run in each of the next three innings to tie the game at 3-3.
Steven Tomlinson, who singled to left field in the bottom of the seventh inning, scored on a RBI single by
Sam Tidaback in the frame.
Devin Gearhart, who reached on a walk in the bottom of the eighth inning, scored on a RBI single by Hoover in the frame.
Trevor Sams tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with a RBI single to plate Krupp, who entered the game as a pinch runner after Tidaback led off the frame with a single.
Montevallo belted a solo homer to left field with two outs in the top of the 10th inning to give the Falcons a 4-3 lead.
The Nighthawks answered in the bottom half of the inning when Hoover reached on an error by the Falcons and Tomita reached on a fielder's choice before both came around to score on the game-winning double by Krupp.
Five different Nighthawks recorded multiple-hits for North Georgia.
Chris Cobb (4-0) earned the win on the mound after throwing an inning and two-thirds of relief work. Starter
Brandon Agar turned in another solid performance with six strikeouts in seven and two-thirds innings of work, allowing no earned runs.
Game #2: Montevallo 9, North Georgia 4North Georgia took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning in the nightcap.
Joey Cecere led off the frame with an infield single before scoring on a fielder's choice RBI by Tomlinson. Tomlinson came around to score on a two-run blast by
Bo Edwards later in the inning.
The Falcons plated two runs in the top of the third inning to trim the deficit to 3-2 and tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the fifth inning when the Nighthawks issued a bases-loaded walk, but three fielder's choices would get starter
Jacob Beauchamp out of the inning.
The Nighthawks took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning when Krupp singled to center field with two outs and came around to score on a bases-loaded walk issued to Hoover later in the frame.
The Falcons scored four runs to take a 7-4 lead in the top of the seventh inning and extended its lead to 9-4 in the top of the eighth inning on a two-run home run.
Cecere and Edwards combined for half of the Nighthawks' eight hits.
