DAHLONEGA – Chaos turned to celebration in the bottom of the ninth as Ben Hamacher delivered a walk-off single to lift No. 10 University of North Georgia (UNG) to a 4-3 victory over Georgia Southwestern Friday night, clinching the Peach Belt Conference series.
Trailing by three runs late, the Nighthawks mounted a comeback capped by Hamacher's game-winner that secured the series win.
Georgia Southwestern struck first in the sixth inning, using a two-run homer from Evan Wainman and a solo shot by Samuel Hogue to build a 3-0 lead.
North Georgia chipped away in the eighth. Kyle Robitzsch drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home the Nighthawks' first run, and Cam Hodge followed with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to one.
The ninth inning delivered the drama. Hunter Thompson sparked the rally with a clutch triple to center field, scoring Caleb Farr to tie the game at 3-3. Two batters later, Hamacher stepped in and laced a single to right field, plating Matthew Haber for the walk-off win.
Hamacher led the way offensively, going 3-for-5 with the decisive RBI, while Jake Streeter added a pair of hits. Thompson finished 1-for-4 with the game-tying RBI in the ninth.
On the mound, Kevin Cox kept the Nighthawks within striking distance, allowing three runs over 5.2 innings. Chandler Thiel earned his second win in relief, tossing 3.1 innings and allowing just one hit while striking out four.
The series concludes Saturday with first pitch scheduled for noon.
