MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The University of North Georgia baseball team lost its second game of the season in a 6-3 non-conference road contest with Georgia College & State University Friday evening.
The Nighthawks and Bobcats exchanged blows in the early goings of the game, with the lead switching three times in the first three innings.
Sophomore infielder Jace Bowen aided the scoring effort in the first inning for UNG by dropping down a sacrifice bunt. A subsequent throwing error to first from GCSU junior pitcher Bradley Wilson allowed Bowen to reach first safely. At the same time, Nighthawk sophomore outfielder Andrews Opata, who reached base on his fifth double of the year in the previous at bat, raced home after the errant throw to strike first blood for UNG.
Trailing 1-0, the Bobcats responded in the bottom half of the inning with a pair of walks in their first two plate appearances.
Back-to-back ground outs advanced both runners, eventually plating sophomore outfielder Evan Cowan to level the game at 1-1.
In the bottom of the third, it was GCSU who took advantage of an error on defense by the Nighthawks.
After senior right fielder Brandon Bellflower walked and advanced to second on a passed ball, he scored moments later on a throwing error from junior shortstop Riley Frost. That made it 2-1 in favor of the Bobcats after three innings.
UNG would tie the game in the fifth thanks to more sloppy play from GCSU.
With two outs, Nighthawk junior catcher Bryson Stripling punched a deep infield single to third base. He got in scoring position after a wild throw from junior third baseman Matthew Mebane.
Opata then tallied his second hit of the night with an infield single, putting Stripling 90 feet from the plate.
Both Stripling and Opata would advance after a wild pitch from Wilson, scoring Stripling and tying the game at 2-2.
The Bobcats had a chance to regain the lead in the bottom of the fifth before a bizarre turn of events took the would-be go-ahead run off the basepaths twice.
First, sophomore outfielder Cam McNearney was caught stealing at second base. One batter later, Cowan roped a double off the base of the wall in right field for the Bobcats that would've scored McNearney.
Instead, GCSU had one in scoring position and one out. That was until Cowan was forced to trot back to the dugout upon appeal from the Nighthawks. The Richmond Hill, Ga. native did not step on first base when making the turn for second. UNG applied the tag to Cowan before he could retreat, leaving the Bobcats with an empty basepath and two outs.
The Nighthawks took advantage of the mistake by reclaiming the lead in the sixth inning after freshman outfielder Noah Darden whacked his twelfth hit of the season, scoring Frost to make it 3-2.
Darden, an already two-time Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Week selection, has started his collegiate career at a blistering pace. His lone single Friday continued a now seven-game hitting streak for the Cumming, Ga. native. Darden is hitting .480 on the season with five doubles and five RBIs.
Despite Darden's heroics, GCSU rallied in a decisive bottom of the sixth inning. Consecutive walks to lead off the inning, followed by a single, loaded the bases for freshman outfielder Hank Noonan.
In one swing, Noonan flipped the scoreboard, giving the Bobcats a 4-3 lead as he singled back up the middle to score a pair of runs.
After Noonan's knock, a UNG pitching change saw sophomore right-hander Jared Bales take over on the mound.
Bales nearly got out of the inning after recording two outs which included a swinging strikeout of Cowan, but Bellflower added two insurance runs for GCSU with a bases-loaded single making it 6-3.
The Bobcats held the lead thanks to a stellar relief outing from sophomore right-hander John Raines.
Raines took the ball to begin the seventh inning for GCSU. He would not give up a run after allowing three hits and fanning six Nighthawk hitters to end the game. Raines threw 44 pitches over the final three innings, 32 of which were strikes.
The loss snaps a six-game winning streak for UNG, its longest such streak since winning nine consecutive games between March and April of 2022.
The two PBC members will continue their non-conference series with the second of three games tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 24 from Milledgeville, Ga. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
