DAHLONEGA – A five-run second inning from the No. 11 University of North Georgia (UNG) baseball team set the Nighthawks up for a 9-1 victory over eighth-seeded Middle Georgia in the opening game of the 2026 Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Tournament on Friday afternoon.
Middle Georgia had to work out of some trouble early, as the Nighthawks loaded the bases in the bottom of the first to try and break open the scoreless game. The Knights were able to work out of the jam and set themselves up to take the first lead of the day with a two-out RBI single.
North Georgia again found a way to get traffic on the bases in the second with a pair of walks and a single from Ben Hamacher. Brady Skipper continued to show off UNG's plate discipline, drawing a bases-loaded walk to even things up.
With the bases still juiced, Brody Yeomans woke up the North Georgia bats with a three RBI triple to give his team the lead. Yeomans kept the game rolling by scoring on an error, as the Nighthawks headed into the third with a 5-1 lead.
After Matthew Heard retired the side in the top of the third inning, the Nighthawks got right back to word in the bottom frame. A leadoff triple from Caleb Farr put him 90 feet from scoring, but the Knights put two quick outs on the board to steal some momentum back.
The Nighthawks would not go down without a fight, as Hamacher and Skipper were able to extend the inning with a pair of walks, paving the way for Farr to score on a wild pitch and cushion the North Georgia advantage.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Nighthawks again found some run support with a two-out rally. Hamacher paid off his single by coming around to score on a wild pitch to give UNG a 7-1 lead.
Heard and the Nighthawks continued to keep the Knights out of arms reach. In the top of the seventh with a runner in scoring position and a ground ball to third, JD Coleman came up with a big defensive play to get the lead runner out at home and keep UNG's six-run advantage alive.
That six-run cushion would not last long, as Hunter Thompson lifted a leadoff homer to centerfield to build on the advantage. Kyle Robitzsch tacked on one more with a sacrifice fly to put the Nighthawks up eight.
Ryan Taylor stepped onto the mound in the top of the eighth and maintained UNG's lead the rest of the way, working through just seven Knight batters to close out the game for North Georgia.
Hamacher's big day at the plate helped guide North Georgia to victory, going 3-4 with three runs and a pair of walks.
Heard added his eighth win of the season to an impressive 2026 campaign, going seven innings on the bump while surrendering just one run while recording nine strikeouts.
Luke Davis led the Knights (19-32, 12-18 PBC) with three hits.
The Nighthawks (39-12, 26-4 PBC) advance to the winner's bracket of the PBC Tournament to take on Flagler tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. at Bob Stein Stadium.
