DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia baseball team suffered a 6-1 loss at the hands of Georgia College at Bob Stein Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park Friday night. The loss dashed the Nighthawks' hopes of hosting part of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament next weekend, as a sweep of the Bobcats was needed to secure second place and hosting rights in the league.
It was a complete game from sophomore pitcher John Luke Glanton that led to UNG's demise Friday. Glanton, who led the conference in complete games and wins entering the contest, tallied one more number in each of those categories against the Nighthawks.
He went a complete nine innings for the second time in a row, allowing just one run on eight hits. Glanton walked just one batter in the outing and struck out six in his eighth win of the year.
The Bobcats gave their starter some early run support in the first inning. After a single and a double started the frame, right fielder Brandon Bellflower brought a run home on a sacrifice fly. Another run was scored on a two out single from left fielder Evan Cowan to make it 2-0 after one inning.
As UNG failed to get more than two runners on base in a single inning, GCSU added to its lead in the fifth on a solo home run from first baseman Braeden Smith.
The Bobcats added another run in the sixth against Nighthawk junior starter Dylan Noce.
Then, head coach Tom Cantrell called on freshman right-handed reliever Andrew Cedano to steady things in the seventh.
While Cedano pitched well in the outing with four strikeouts over three innings, catcher Rand Bestermann got the better of him with two home runs. Both long balls were solo shots as he hit one in the seventh inning and another in the ninth.
With a 6-0 deficit, UNG needed a major comeback in the bottom of the ninth.
The Nighthawks made things interesting as sophomore second baseman Brady Skipper and junior shortstop Riley Frost led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Two batters later, freshman third baseman Kyle Robitzsch brought home UNG's lone run of the night on a ground out.
The game ended as junior outfielder Josh Sosa lined out at third base for the final out.
With the loss, the Nighthawks fell to 31-16 overall and 13-9 in conference play, while GCSU moved to 27-19 and 17-8 against the PBC.
Despite missing out on the sweep, the Nighthawks have a chance to win the series over the weekend with the final two games of the regular season. The program will celebrate Senior Day tomorrow, Saturday, Apr. 27 before its 2 p.m. showdown with the Bobcats. The series concludes Sunday, Apr. 28 at 1 p.m. from Bob Stein Stadium.
