GREENWOOD, S.C. – The No. 15 University of North Georgia baseball dropped its fifth consecutive game in a 5-3 Peach Belt Conference loss at Lander Sunday afternoon. All five losses have come away from home for UNG after dropping a pair of midweek contests at No. 25 Lee and Catawba. 

A five-run seventh inning propelled the Bearcats to a comeback win after trailing 2-0 entering the seventh. 

The starting pitchers for both teams went into the sixth inning and beyond before either team was able to get on the scoreboard.

The Nighthawks scored first when sophomore infielder Brady Skipper brought home a run on a sacrifice fly. Later in the inning, junior outfielder Jorge Arispuro singled through the left side to make it 2-0. 

Despite three losses in the series, Arispuro was one of the main contributors on offense for UNG. He went 3-for-12 (.250) and brought home five of the Nighthawks' 16 runs in the series, the most of any hitter. 

With UNG starter Daniel Courtney still on the mound in the bottom of the seventh, the Bearcats finally broke through. 

Up until the seventh, the junior lefty Courtney had only allowed two walks and one hit to Lander. At one point in the game, he retired 10 consecutive batters. However, a walk and back-to-back singles in the seventh loaded the bases for Bearcat graduate catcher Blake Marrs. He grounded into a fielder's choice that brought home Lander's first run. 

Courtney was then pulled in favor of sophomore right hander Matthew Heard. Heard was too erratic in his first at bat, throwing a pair of wild pitches that advanced two runners, eventually scoring graduate outfielder Gary Garrett. In the same at bat, Heard plunked senior infielder Chris Manriquez before Nighthawk sophomore right hander Jaret Bales took over on the mound.

Bales walked his first batter before conceding a three-run triple to Lander senior infielder Ethan Wilder, breaking the tie and making it 5-2. 

UNG got a lone run back in the eighth thanks to an RBI single from redshirt sophomore Phillip Ard. 

The Nighthawks had a chance to rally in the ninth inning after the first two batters reached base safely. Freshman designated hitter Kyle Robitzsch singled up the middle before sophomore infielder Luke Starling reached first on an error. 

Head coach Tom Cantrell elected to put the tying run in scoring position by advancing both Robitzsch and Starling with a sacrifice bunt from sophomore utility player Edwin Bowman IV. Needing a base hit to likely tie the game, UNG could not find one as the next two batters made contact outs to end the game. 

The Nighthawks return home Tuesday, Mar. 26 for a standalone non-conference game against Emmanuel (Ga.) before a home weekend conference series against Georgia Southwestern.

The Lions will come to Bob Stein Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park on Tuesday for a 5 p.m. first pitch as UNG looks to snap its five-game skid.