DAHLONEGA – The No. 13 University of North Georgia (UNG) baseball team exploded for 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings to secure a 15-5 run-rule win over Middle Georgia on Friday night at Bob Stein Stadium. 

The Nighthawks had to play from behind early after a solo home run from Middle Georgia in the top of the first inning put the Knights in front first. 

A leadoff base knock and a stolen base from Ben Hamacher pulled the momentum back in North Georgia's favor. The Nighthawks flashed their plate discipline, drawing a bases-loaded walk to even up the score. 

After back-to-back three up, three downs from Matthew Heard, the Nighthawks again loaded the bases in the bottom of the third. With two outs on the board, Jake Prince delivered a line-drive single to centerfield, scoring Schley Gordy and Kyle Robitzsch to give UNG its first lead. 

The Knights answered in the fourth with a single to center field and a sacrifice fly to right to even the score 3-3. 

North Georgia got right back to work in the bottom of the inning. A double from Brady Skipper set up a Cam Hodge sacrifice fly to score Hamacher, as the Nighthawks recaptured the lead. 

It did not take long for the Knights to respond, as a leadoff home run in the top of the fifth knotted the score once again. 

In the home half of the fifth, North Georgia showed its plate discipline once again. A pair of hits and a walk loaded the bases for Skipper, who drew another walk and made the score 5-4. 

Middle Georgia's tenth hit of the evening evened things back up at 5-5, but the Nighthawks had a big answer in the bottom of the sixth. A two-run homer to left field from Gordy put the Nighthawks back out in front. A few minutes later, Jake Streeter stepped up and delivered another two-run shot over the left field wall, extending North Georgia's lead to four. 

The Nighthawks continued to pile onto their lead in the bottom of the seventh. RBI singles from Hodge and Caleb Farr tacked on a pair of runs, and Prince's fourth hit of the evening brought home two more runs.  

The batting order flipped back over to Hamacher, who picked up his second hit of the day to score Prince. With the bases loaded, Hodge drew a walk to plate the fifteenth and final run of the game in the run-rule victory.

Prince led the explosive night for the Nighthawks with a career-high four hits and four RBI. Farr, Hamacher, Skipper and Streeter also recorded multiple hits. 

Rhaylin Carvajal picked up his third win of the season, coming out of the bullpen and preventing the Knights from recording a hit or run in his 1.1 innings on the mound. 

Middle Georgia (5-12, 2-5 PBC) was led by Teonis Pimentel and Mikal Ashley with two hits each. 

The Nighthawks (13-4, 6-1 PBC) will go for the series win Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.