DAHLONEGA - A pair of one-run baseball games went the way of the No. 23 University of North Georgia baseball team Saturday afternoon at Bob Stein Stadium. The Nighthawks won 11-10 in the opener before a 6-5 win in the nightcap.
GAME ONE
After a leadoff walk to
Andres Perez in the second inning,
Jake Arnold brought home the game's first run on a RBI single, plating Perez. FIT had a big response in the top of the third, sending 11 batters to the plate to get six runs.
North Georgia tied the game up a half inning later, though, as Perez hit a three-run shot to deep left center to cut the lead to one. Later in the inning,
Chase Sudduth brought home
William Mapes on an infield single and a Panther error to tie the game up, 6-6.
Florida Tech retook the lead in the top of the fourth, 8-6, before the game settled down for three innings.
After the seventh inning stretch, North Georgia's bats came alive again, plating five runs highlighted by a Sudduth three-run homer to left to take an 11-8 lead. The Panthers scored single runs in the eighth and ninth innings, but
Parker Morrison was able to work out of a jam and earn the save.
Jack Fleming earned the win in relief, throwing 1.1 innings and giving up just two hits and a run.
GAME TWO
North Georgia again took an early lead, scoring two runs in the third inning off another Sudduth homer to left field. After FIT scored the next five runs, the Nighthawks put up another big number in the bottom of the seventh.
With the bases loaded, Sudduth hit a fly ball to right field that was dropped by the right fielder, allowing three runs to score.
Steven Tomlinson brought Sudduth home in the next at bat on a infield single that brought the game to its final score.
Logan Burt earned the win in relief of starter
Derrick Pickvet, throwing three innings of shutout baseball with four strikeouts.
NOTES
- Sudduth finished the day 3-for-9 with three runs scored and five RBI.
- The Nighthawks finished with double digits in the runs column for the first time this season. UNG had 27 games of double digits runs a year ago.
NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will host No. 19 Florida Southern next weekend for a three-game series. First pitch on Friday, February 9, is set for 4 p.m. at Bob Stein Stadium.