DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia baseball team grabbed its third win in the last four games at Bob Stein Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park with a 9-3 victory over No. 16 West Florida Tuesday evening. Led by six and a third innings of just one-run ball from Nighthawk sophomore starter Matthew Heard, the win not only marks UNG's third in the last four games, but all three have come against ranked opponents.
A five run, two out rally in the third inning is what charged the Nighthawks to their 22nd victory of the season under head coach Tom Cantrell.
After both teams scored a run in the early innings on a pair of contact outs in the field, freshman catcher Kyle Robitzsch got things started for UNG in the home third.
The inning started with two outs for the Nighthawks and did not appear as if they were going to pull away. However, redshirt sophomore first baseman Phillip Ard worked a two out walk to keep the inning alive. Junior left fielder Jorge Arispuro followed with a single. Then Robitzsch laced a single into center to regain the lead for UNG.
Robitzsch's knock was the first of three straight for the Nighthawks, all of which brought home runs.
Sophomore shortstop Jace Bowen brought home Arispuro with a single before sophomore right fielder Edwin Bowman IV broke things open with a triple.
As the ball bounded into the right center field gap off Bowman's bat, Robitzsch and Bowen came home to make it 5-1 in favor of the Nighthawks.
After an Argonauts pitching change, senior Jack Davis added the inning's final run on an RBI single to score Bowman from third.
In the sixth inning, it was one swing that made the loud noise for UNG. After junior outfielder Josh Sosa was substituted for Arispuro, he belted his first home run of the season in his first at bat of the game. With his bomb over the left field wall, Sosa gave the Nighthawks an 8-1 lead in the sixth.
The lead was then extended the next inning with a base knock from junior third baseman Riley Frost to bring home Bowman for the second time in the game.
UWF got a pair of runs back in the eighth with a two run homer from junior Darrien McDowell.
However, the Nighthawks held on for the win, doing so in front of one of their biggest fans, and newest members, Shane Bailey.
Bailey, a 15-year-old native of Oakwood, Ga., has been closely spending time with the UNG baseball team this season. Through the help of Team Impact, Bailey was connected to the Nighthawk program after a dirt bike accident in April of 2023 led to Bailey's leg being amputated.
Team Impact is a Boston, Mass. based nonprofit that helps children facing serious or chronic illnesses connect with collegiate athletic teams to form life-long bonds and life-changing outcomes. Since 2011, Team Impact has paired over 13,000 kids with nearly 800 university teams, helping children grain strength, camaraderie and a support system.
On Tuesday, Bailey officially became a member of the UNG baseball program by signing his letter of intent with the help of his parents, Deanne and Eugene, along with Cantrell and Bailey's brother Doug.
Bailey is an avid baseball fan and also enjoys spending time riding his scooter, listening to music and is a fanatic for cars. After 12 surgeries stemming from the accident, Bailey is now looking to get back on the baseball field again soon with the help of his doctors.
Bailey is the third member of Team Impact to sign with a UNG athletic team since 2018 and the second such to sign with the baseball program.
With one final game against the Argonauts, UNG will look to be victorious in four of its last five against ranked opponents on Wednesday, Apr. 3 with a 3 p.m. first pitch from Bob Stein Stadium.
