DAHLONEGA — After an offensive explosion in the afternoon, both teams bats cooled off as the No. 23 University of North Georgia baseball team split the Friday night doubleheader against Trevecca Nazarene winning game one, 16-1, and dropping game two, 2-1, Friday evening in Bob Stein Stadium.
 
GAME ONE
The Nighthawks were first on the board in the second after taking advantage of walks and errors administered by the Trojans. Nick Clarno and Conner Corbitt reached base after back-to-back walks and advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Bill LeRoy to put them in scoring position.
 
Austin Mapes hit a hard grounder to the third baseman, but a throwing error allowed him to advance to second and score Clarno from third. Crews Taylor came behind him with a sacrifice fly to right center to score Corbitt, then a liner to center from Jake Arnold scored Mapes, 3-0. The Nighthawks strung hits together and capitalized on several errors to extend their lead in the fourth.
 
North Georgia batted around the lineup and took advantage of several wild pitches to tack on six more runs in the fifth. A right field liner from Taylor, a double from Arnold, and a walk to Chase Sudduth loaded the bases early on. Taylor scored on a wild pitch, extending the lead to 8-0.
 
A walk issued to Steven Tomlinson loaded the bases once again for Andres Perez, who knocked a two-RBI single past a diving shortstop. Taylor saw another productive at-bat, hitting a two-out liner to right to score Corbitt, making the score 13-0.
 
TNU scored their only run in the top of the eighth from Ethan Hurt who had the Trojans's second hit of the game. An RBI ground out from Chandler Miller scored Hurt from third, cutting the lead to 15-1.
 
UNG's Tomlinson responded with a solo homerun off the light post in left field to give the Nighthawks the 16-1 win.
 
GAME TWO
After a scoreless four innings, the Nighthawks were first on the board in the fifth thanks to a Sudduth double off the centerfield wall, but fell behind after TNU responded in the seventh.
 
The Trojans were almost first on the board in the fifth after Sam Mang blasted a double off centerfield wall to put a runner on base for Trevecca Nazarene. Freshman Justin Chauvin stepped up and lined a one-hop to center. It looked like Mang was going to score as he rounded third, but North Georgia's Tomlinson gunned him out at the plate to end the inning.
 
Austin Mapes lead off the inning with a walk, putting a base runner on for Sudduth who delivered at the plate with two outs, giving the Nighthawks the lead, 1-0.
 
TNU came out strong in the seventh to claim their first lead of the night. Carter Wiseman lead off with a walk issued from UNG's Jack Fleming. Brandon Hauswald came behind him with a bunt single. With Trojans on first and second, Mang grounded to second to advance Wiseman to third and put runners on the corners. Chandler Miller loaded the bases for the Trojans for Chauvin.
 
The freshman lined to right to score Wiseman from third and tie the game, 1-1. Ethan Harrison's foul pop-up in right field territory allowed Mang to tag at third and score at the plate on a close play, giving the Trojans the lead to win the game, 2-1.
 
NOTES
- Cade Heil gained his first win of his career on the mound only giving up 3 hits in game one.
 
- Clarno went 2-for-2 with a double, two RBI, and three runs scored in the first game. Corbitt went 2-for-4 with a double, three RBI, and four runs scored in game one.
 
- TNU out-hit UNG, 6-4, in game two after the Nighthawks belted 17 hits in the first half of the twinbill.
 
NEXT UP
Game three of the non-conference series will be played Sunday at Bob Stein Stadium. First pitch is set for noon.