DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia (UNG) baseball team opened the 2025 season with an emphatic 9-1 win over Lincoln Memorial at Bob Stein Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park Friday night.
UNG dominated in all facets of the game against the Railsplitters, particularly on the mound.
Friday was a highly anticipated day within the Nighthawk baseball program as graduate left-handed pitcher
Pierce Williams was selected as the opening day starter for UNG.
Williams arrived in Dahlonega in 2021 and has progressively risen up the ranks as one of the best arms in the UNG locker room. However, his last two seasons have been hindered by injuries, sidelining head coach
Tom Cantrell's ace for the better part of two seasons.
Williams threw only a combined 33.0 innings in the last two years but as he took the bump on Friday finally healthy and rejuvenated, he quickly returned to form.
Despite conceding a walk in the first at bat, Williams steadied things by striking out three of the next five Railsplitter batters. He continued to get into a groove in the third inning as he recorded another three strikeouts.
In the fourth, Williams worked a one-two-three inning that included his seventh and final strikeout of the game. His final line read: 5.0 innings pitched, zero hits, zero runs, two walks and seven strikeouts.
Offensively, UNG opened the scoring in the fourth inning with a single up the middle from junior infielder
Jace Bowen to bring home junior outfielder
Andrews Opata. Bowen, a Peach Belt Conference Preseason All-Conference selection last season, had a huge game on Friday after missing most of last season with injury as well.
The Nighthawks expanded the lead to 3-0 in the fifth inning when Bowen and Opata each scored thanks to RBI singles from redshirt junior first baseman
Phillip Ard and senior outfielder
Jorge Arispuro.
While the offense began to blossom, graduate lefty pitcher
Zach Green kept LMU at bay with two strong innings. He controlled the sixth and seventh innings with no runs and no hits allowed while only conceding a single walk and striking out two Railsplitters.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Nighthawks broke the game wide open with four runs in the frame. Ard tattooed a ball to left field to score Opata and senior catcher
Bryson Stripling. Ar and Bowen scored on an error in the next at bat as senior infielder
Riley Frost reached base. As all was said and done through six innings, UNG comfortably led 7-0.
UNG added two unearned insurance runs in the seventh inning after consecutive errors from LMU.
With the result pretty much decided, the Nighthawk pitching staff still had much to play for in the final two innings. The Railsplitters were still held without a hit through the first seven innings.
Redshirt sophomore transfer
Avery Brown entered in the eighth to try and close out the combined no-hitter. The North Alabama transfer worked a scoreless eighth with one walk and one strikeout.
Tension rose in the ninth as the Nighthawks were on the brink of their first no-hitter since 2017 and the first combined no-hitter since at least 2011. Brown got the first out as LMU's Kasten Harvey flew out to center field in the first at bat. However, Alex Kowalski hit a ball deep in the hole at shortstop in the next at bat that Bowen slid and stopped with his backhand but he was unable to offer a throw to first. After 8.1 innings, LMU finally had its first hit.
It was a remarkable night for the UNG pitchers Williams, Green and Brown as they held down the Railsplitters in dominating fashion.
On offense, seven different Nighthawks tallied a hit on Friday headlined by big nights from Opata and Bowen. Opata went 3-for-5 with four runs scored while Bowen went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI.
UNG starts the season 1-0 and will look to improve on that mark against the Railsplitters tomorrow in a doubleheader that starts from Bob Stein Stadium at 1 p.m. Game two in the double billing is scheduled for 5 p.m.
