AIKEN, S.C. - The University of North Georgia baseball team fought through an early deficit and then defeated USC Aiken in 11 innings Saturday, 6-5.
USC Aiken started off the scoring in the bottom of the first with a three-run homer over the wall in left before adding to the lead in the second inning on a RBI groundout to take a 4-0 lead. North Georgia answered in the fourth inning as
Justin Bailey hit his first collegiate homer to left, plating three runs in the process to trim the lead. UNG tied the game up later in the frame on a
Mark Tucker single to left.
The Nighthawks took their first lead of the game in the fifth when
Riley Frost hit a sacrifice fly to right, but the Pacers tied it up in the bottom of the frame on a squeeze play. Neither team could find another run in regulation, forcing extra innings where UNG executed a squeeze bunt of their own as Frost laid a perfect bunt down in the 11th that ended up being the game winner.
NOTES
- North Georgia has now won seven straight in extra innings and is 7-2 in extra inning games this season.
- The Nighthawks won a game where they committed four errors for the first time since March 21, 2018, when UNG beat West Georgia despite having five errors in the game.
- Bailey,
Crews Taylor,
Tim Conway and
Jorge Arispuro all had two hits in the game.
-
Beau Jones (1-0) earned the win, going 3.2 innings of relief.
NEXT UP
The rubber match is set for 1 p.m. tomorrow afternoon.
