PEMBROKE – Jordan Edgerton's sacrifice fly with one out in the bottom of the sixth gave UNCP a seemingly comfortable 6-1 lead, but visiting Georgia College sent a dozen batters to the plate in a 7-run seventh inning en route to tying up the weekend series with an 11-6 stunner over the 23rd-ranked Braves on Saturday evening at Sammy Cox Field.

The setback snapped a two-game winning streak for the Braves (13-4, 4-4 PBC) who fell for just the second time in 13 home games this season. Georgia College (8-7, 2-3) snapped a five-game losing streak to the Black & Gold with the triumph.

Daniel Fraga (3-for-5, 2 R) and Drew Alford (3-for-4, R) each tallied a trio of hits for UNCP who managed to record its 13th double-digit hitting attack of the season in a losing cause. Drew Cole (2-for-3, RBI) and Zade Denton (2-for-4) each registered a pair of hits for the Braves as well. The Bobcats got multi-hit outings from five different players, including all-conference standout Cody Maas who drove in four runs on a 2-for-5 hitting line.

Aaron Spano (1-3) blew his third-straight save and saddled the loss for the Braves, exiting the game without recording an out and allowing three earned runs on two hits and one walk. Spano, however, was one of four UNCP relievers that combined to yield seven earned runs on seven hits and three walks in the sixth and seventh innings alone.

GCSU reliever Patrick Olvaney (1-0) picked up his first win of the season by allowing just a lone hit in one inning from the hill, while Christian Bragg grabbed the first save of the season for the Bobcats despite yielding two hits and five walks over 2-1/3 innings from the bump. He also struck out two Braves.

The Braves scored lone runs in the first, second and fifth innings behind a solid start from Jordan DeLoatch, and then pushed their lead out to 6-1 with three more runs in the sixth. DeLoatch, who did not allow a hit through his first 4-2/3 innings from the mound, gave way to Spano after Ikaika Anderson's run-scoring single with one out in the seventh, but the bleeding continued.

GCSU chased Spano with a pair of singles and a five-pitch walk, and then tagged Logan Cook with consecutive two-run knocks to complete the scoring barrage in the top of the seventh. David Dail recorded a pair of outs in the eighth, but exited the game after surrendering a one-out single and a free pass via a hit by pitch. Brandon Estrain closed out the eighth for the hosts, but not before allowing two hits that scored both inherited runners. He also registered an earned run of his own.

The teams will play the rubber game of the series on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Sammy Cox Field.