DAHLONEGA, Ga. | The University of North Georgia mounted a seventh-inning rally to take down Georgia College & State University 8-7 Saturday (Feb. 22) afternoon in a non-conference baseball matinee at Bob Stein Field.
The Bobcats fell to 5-8, while the Nighthawks climbed to 8-5. GCSU will return Sunday (Feb. 23) at 1 p.m. for the series finale, looking to avoid a sweep.
GCSU opened the scoring in the top of the third, using some small ball to push Charlie Banks to second and a Gabe Wuerth double to score him. Ben Hamacher eventually drove in Wuerth on a sacrifice grounder.
The Bobcats tacked on three more in the top of the fourth through a trio of singles from Matthew Mebane, Hank Noonan, and Banks. Finally, Braeden Smith's home run in the top of the seventh made it a 7-2 lead. It was Smith's fourth long ball of the season.
The Nighthawks worked three consecutive walks to load the bases to begin the seventh inning. Andrews Opata walked next to drive in one, and a single from Jace Bowen drove in another. Back-to-back sacrifice hits tied the game, and the comeback was completed with an RBI single from Riley Frost.
The Bobcats attempted to plate a run in the eighth, managing runners on first and second, but could not send them around.
Chandler Thiel (1-0) collected the win with 1.2 innings of relief; however, giving up two runs in the process. Ryan Taylor managed the six-out save - his second of the year.
Will Sims (0-1) took the loss for the Bobcats.
Banks led GCSU in hits with two, followed by several players with one, including Wuerth, Smith, Mebane, Noonan, and Hamacher.
About GCSU Athletics
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for four consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won five consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-time winners of the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in postseason competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports or subscribe to the GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics.
