Nighthawks Hold Off Top-Ranked Nova Southeastern, 4-3

University of North Georgia
2/10/2017 | Baseball | Box Score

DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The No. 27 University of North Georgia baseball team held off a ninth inning rally to defeat top-ranked and defending National Champion Nova Southeastern, 4-3, on Friday evening in the first of a three-game weekend series at Bob Stein Stadium.

The Nighthawks improve to 5-0 on the season while the loss is the first of the year for NSU (5-1).

North Georgia jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first courtesy of a two-out, RBI-single by Trevor Sams that plated Michael Gouge who doubled in the previous at-bat.

Two innings later, Andres Perez doubled the North Georgia lead with a towering homerun to left to lead off the frame. The blast was the first of his career for the freshman catcher.

The Nighthawks escaped a jam in the top of the sixth when Gouge gloved a diving catch in the left-center gap.

A pair of doubles by Hoover and Michael Gouge in the eighth extended the Nighthawk lead to 3-0 before a sharp single by Sams to right field plated Gouge to cap the UNG scoring.

The Sharks mounted a rally in their final at-bat with a two-run, pinch-hit single cut the UNG lead in half, 4-2.

With runners on the corners and no outs, NSU trimmed the lead to 4-3 on a 5-4-3 double-play before North Georgia forced a groundout to third base to escape with the victory.

Dylan Peppers earned his first victory of the season on the mound, tossing five and a third innings of scoreless work allowing just two hits while sitting down seven Sharks. Derrick Pickvet earned the save despite giving up a pair of runs in the final frame.

Offensively, Sams led the way at the plate with a 3-4 night that included a pair of runs batted in. Gouge added two hits and two runs scored.

NOTES
– The loss is the first in the last 11 games for NSU dating back to the South Regional in 2016.

– Through the first five games, Sams is batting a blistering .611 from the plate and has combined with Hoover to record 21 RBI’s.

– The UNG pitching staff held Nova to just four hits on the night after the Sharks entered the series averaging over 11 hits per contest.

NEXT
The second game of the three-game set is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch tomorrow, Feb. 11, at Bob Stein Stadium.

 

– UNG Athletic Communications

CHAD HAYNIE // Director of Athletic Communications
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA ATHLETICS

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