Related: Stinnett Superb As Baseball Knocks Off North Georgia In Opener
DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The UNC Pembroke baseball team twice rallied back from late-inning deficits, but North Georgia plated four runs in the bottom of the eighth to go ahead for good and even up its weekend series with a 9-6 victory over the Braves in the front half of a series-closing doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Bob Stein Stadium.
Drew Beaver homered and drove in a pair of runs on a 3-for-4 day at the plate for UNCP (14-7, 4-4 PBC), who also got a 3-for-5 showing from Roberto Rivera. Sam Tidaback doubled, homered and drove in six runs on a 4-for-5 performance to pace North Georgia (12-8, 5-6).
Alex Britt (2-1) surrendered three earned runs on as many hits amidst a short relief stint in the eighth to take the loss for the Braves. Taylor Keinat (1-0) grabbed the win for the Saints despite blowing a save and allowing three earned runs on three hits in just 1-2/3 innings from the hill. Jacob Jones got the game's final out to tally a save.
The Nighthawks got a one-out double from Hoover in the bottom of the first to get something going, and then took a 1-0 lead on Tidaback's run-scoring single up the middle. North Georgia would pad its lead out to a pair of runs in the second, utilizing a leadoff single by Devin Gearhart, a costly balk and a RBI groundout to take a 2-0 advantage into the third.
Connor Hoover got himself into position to score another run in the fifth, reaching on a leadoff single and then stealing second base to set the table for another RBI single from Tidaback that gave the hosts a 3-0 advantage.
UNCP utilized a pair of hits and a costly error by the Nighthawks to plate three runs in the seventh and knot things back up, but Tidaback put UNG back up again in the bottom of the frame on a solo homer to left field. Beaver's two-run homer in the top of the eighth would give the Braves their first lead of the game, however.
Ryan Tomita doubled to lead off the bottom of the eighth, and the Nighthawks surged ahead for good on consecutive RBI knocks by Gearheart (double) and Joshua Profit (single). Tidaback's three-run double three batters later would deliver the final damage for the hosts.
Nick Debo capped the scoring in the contest with a one-out sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth.