DAHLONEGA – After a one-hit shutout in the series opener on Friday, both sides brought the offensive firepower in the University of North Georgia baseball team's doubleheader against Salem to close out its non-conference three-game series at Bob Stein Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park. The Nighthawks fell in the first game 8-6 before taking the series with an 11-5 victory in the second game.
Salem 8, North Georgia 6
A tight battle throughout, the Nighthawks managed four runs in the fifth to take the 6-4 lead, but an answer from Salem in the sixth as the Tigers added three runs of their own, coupled with successful relief appearances by the Salem bullpen, allowed the Tigers to even the series.
Nik Levensteins was the main contributor in the lineup for North Georgia, scoring twice on three hits and driving in one run. Hitters four through eight earned an RBI in the game for UNG as Levensteins,
Connor Frost,
Edwin Bowman IV,
Justin Bailey and
Andrews Opata all drove in one run each.
Opata joined Levensteins in the multi-hit club, getting a double and a single as the freshman continued to heat up at the plate.
North Georgia, 11 Salem 5
An eighth-inning rally gave North Georgia the lead breaking a 5-5 tie as the Nighthawks kept up the pressure in the inning, adding five more runs to take hold of the game heading into the ninth.
Dylan Noce kept UNG close in his three and one-third innings of work, allowing no runs on three hits, preceding
Jack Emacio (W, 3-1), getting the final out of the eighth before the rally began for the Nighthawks to earn the win.
Riley Frost opened up the scoring for UNG, hitting a first-inning homer just over the left field wall tying with Levensteins and
Connor Frost for the team lead in RBIs in the game. Levensteins two RBIs came on a double in the eighth and a walk in the fifth.
Connor Frost added two on another double in the eighth and a single in the second.
Opata hit in the leadoff spot in the second game, reaching base four times and scoring twice on three walks and a hit.
Next Up
The Nighthawks face a tough road test in their midweek matchup on Tuesday (Apr. 18) against top-ranked and defending NCAA Division II national champion North Greenville. The first pitch for Tuesday's game is set for 3:30 p.m.
