DAHLONEGA, Ga. — University of North Georgia head coach Tom Cantrell picked up his 800th career win as the No. 7 Nighthawks downed Armstrong 16-3 game one before turning around and doing it again in game two, winning 14-5. With the pair of wins North Georgia improves to 15-4 overall and 4-1 in the Peach Belt Conference.
 
GAME ONE
North Georgia got on the board first after a ball hit by Andres Perez made it through to shallow right field and drove in Conner Corbitt to make the score 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning.
 
The Nighthawk bats came alive in the third as they scored three runs off four hits including a double from Connor Hoover, an RBI double from Michael Gouge and RBI triple into the right field corner from Michael Bell.
 
The Pirates answered back in the top of the fourth inning with a three-run home run from Will Hodges to left center, putting Armstrong within striking distance, making the score 4-3.
 
North Georgia took a run back in the bottom half of the fourth after Gouge earned his second RBI of the game off of a single that drove home Perez standing on third to make the score 5-3.
 
The Nighthawks tacked on four more runs in the fifth after three hits including a bases-clearing double from Hoover to give North Georgia a 9-3 lead.
 
After scoring off a wild pitch in the sixth, North Georgia rounded out the game with a six-run eighth inning off two errors and four hits, including a grand slam over the centerfield wall from Trevor Sams to make the final score 16-3.
 
Steven Bower (4-1) was credited with the win after giving up just five hits and striking out eight in seven innings of starting work.
 
GAME TWO
The Nighthawks came out scoring early scoring in the first inning off of a Trevor Sams sacrifice fly that brought in Devin Gearhart to score the first run.
 
North Georgia went on to score their second run of the game in the bottom of the third as the bases were loaded with two outs Michael Bell singled to second base allowing Gearhart to score.   The inning however, was ended on the same play as Connor Hoover was caught in a pickle situation trying to score.
 
Armstrong tied the game at two in the top of the fifth after Young was able to score on a wild pitch and an RBI single from Corley, but UNG responded in the bottom half of the inning with five runs. The Nighthawk half of the inning was highlighted by two hits, including an RBI double from Michael Gouge.
 
The Nighthawks went on to score seven more runs including five in the sixth inning, a home run from Gouge in the seventh and another run in the eighth. The seven additional North Georgia runs proved too much for the Pirates as they could only match three of those runs, two in the seventh and one in the eighth, to give the game its final score, 14-5.
 
Derrick Pickvet (4-0) was credited with the win after 3.2 innings of relief work.
 
NOTES
- Connor Corbitt went 4-for-5 from the plate in game one including one run batted in.
 
- Trevor Sams earned his third home run of the season with his two-out, eighth inning grand slam in the first game.
 
- Michael Gouge went 2-for-3 from the plate in game two, including his sixth homer of the year in the seventh inning.
 
-The Nighthawks are now 16-16 in the all-time series against Armstrong State.
 
NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will look to earn the series sweep over the Pirates tomorrow, with the series finale set for a 1 p.m. first pitch.