BLUFFTON, S.C. – The University of North Georgia (UNG) baseball team swept its weekend Peach Belt Conference series at USC Beaufort (USCB) with 9-8 and 9-3 wins in a doubleheader in Bluffton, S.C. on Saturday.
The Nighthawks (18-8, 8-1 Peach Belt) sit atop the PBC standings through the first nine games after taking three from the Sand Sharks (3-23, 1-11 Peach Belt) this weekend.
Only Lander and Georgia College join UNG as the one-loss teams in the league.
The Nighthawks will have a chance to hand the Bearcats their second loss of the season next weekend when they welcome Lander to Bob Stein Stadium and Lynn Cottrell Park for a weekend series.
The slate begins with a 6 p.m. game on Friday, March 21.
Game 1: Nighthawks def. Sand Sharks, 9-8
It did not take long for UNG to get on the scoreboard in the first game of the doubleheader on Saturday. After consecutive walks to start the game, redshirt junior
Phillip Ard smoked a home run to quickly make it 3-0.
The long ball was Ard's league-leading ninth of the season. He also leads the conference with 48 RBI on the season after another big weekend against USCB.
The Nighthawks maintained the 3-0 lead until the Sand Sharks scratched a run across in the second inning. They then built on the lead with a double down the left field line in the third inning from redshirt freshman
Nicholas Stinson. Ard scored on the play to make it 4-1.
In the following at bat, freshman second baseman
Jake Prince poked a single into left field scoring Stinson to expand the lead to four runs.
USCB came charging back in the bottom of the sixth inning with a pair of run-scoring doubles to send three runners across the plate and make it a 5-4 ballgame.
In the eighth inning, UNG distanced itself from the competition by scoring four runs in a matter of two at bats.
After a single, a hit batter and a walk loaded the bases, Prince grounded out to third for the second out of the inning which allowed junior center fielder
Andrews Opata to touch home.
Senior third baseman
Riley Frost then connected on his second homer of the season. His three-run blast sailed over the left field wall and made it 9-4 late in the game.
USCB put together an impressive ninth inning, scoring four runs to bring the tying run to the plate with two outs in the inning. However, down to his last strike, Sand Shark first baseman Jeremy Brown was rung up on a called third strike from Nighthawk senior reliever
Daniel Courtney.
Game 2: Nighthawks def. Sand Sharks, 9-3
While USCB provided a scare to UNG in the first game, game two was much more smooth sailing for the Nighthawks.
They jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the third inning after RBI from senior left fielder
Jorge Arispuro, Stinson and Frost while Ard also scored on a wild pitch.
The Sand Sharks got on the board with a solo home run in the fourth inning before making it a one-run game in the sixth by scoring on a wild pitch and an RBI groundout.
UNG quickly grew its lead however as Opata clobbered his fifth homer of the season in the seventh inning. The solo blast made it 5-3.
In the next inning, Prince notched his third RBI of the day with a single to left that brought in Stinson.
Ard cemented the sweep in the ninth inning with his second home run of the day. This one went over the left field wall and plated three runs to make it 9-3 and seal the victory.
