MONTEVALLO, Ala. | The University of North Georgia baseball team got the tying run to third and the go-ahead run on second in the ninth but could not complete the comeback as the Nighthawks lost the first of three to Montevallo, 9-8, on Friday night. The loss drops UNG to 13-15 in Peach Belt Conference play.
The Falcons wasted no time putting runs on the scoreboard, putting up eight runs in the first two innings of play. Two RBI doubles highlighted the four runs in the first, while back-to-back homers scored all four runs in the second. UNG was able to push a run across in between the four-run innings on a
Connor Hoover sacrifice fly, making the score 8-1 after two innings.
North Georgia cut the lead to five in the fifth after
Joshua Profit doubled down the right field line, scoring
Taylor Jones, who also doubled to lead off the inning. After a RBI groundout, Montevallo led 8-3 through five innings.
UM scored their final run in the sixth as Dane Hutcheon singled to center to put the Falcons up, 9-3, before UNG started the comeback.
North Georgia scored five runs in the eighth. After a leadoff single by
Trevor Sams and a double by
Steven Tomlinson, Hoover brought both Nighthawks home on a double to the corner in left to cut the lead to four, 9-5. Then, after loading the bases, UNG scored three more on an error by the Falcon pitcher to make it a one-run game, 9-8.
UNG got one final opportunity in the ninth. After getting hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, Tomlinson reached second base on a wild pitch and Hoover drew a walk. They advanced 90 feet on a groundout, but could not advance home as Alex Pondick struck out the final Nighthawk batter to preserve the Falcon win.
NOTES
- The game was delayed 90 minutes prior to the start of the game due to storms that caused the field to be unplayable. There was also a 15-minute fog delay during the game.
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Brandon Agar (5-4) was tagged with the loss after giving up eight runs in 1.2 innings. He walked two and gave up four hits. Aron McRee (6-2) got the win, throwing seven innings of six-hit baseball, and Pondick earned his second save of the year after getting the final three outs.
NEXT UP
The two teams will square off again tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. at UM's Johnson Field.