PEMBROKE – The 16^th-ranked UNC Pembroke baseball team rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take its first lead of the ballgame and held off visiting Chowan down the stretch to register an 11-10 victory over the Hawks in the series opener on Tuesday evening at Sammy Cox Field.
 
The triumph put an end to a two-game skid for the Braves (14-5) who will close out the rare midweek series with the Hawks (8-11) in a 3 p.m. contest on Wednesday in Pembroke.
 
Nick Debo homered, walked twice and was hit by pitch once to fuel a 2-for-2 night at the plate, while Ethan Baucom hit his second home run of the season. Four other Braves turned in lone base hits as well. Trent Brosdahl drove in three runs and scored twice on a perfect 5-for-5 hitting line for Chowan.
 
Hank Simpson (2-0) struck out four and grabbed the win with three innings of relief for the Black & Gold, while closer Kyle Ramsey notched his third save of the season with 2-2/3 scoreless innings of work. Jack Downum (0-1) allowed four runs (one earned) on just two hits in one inning of relief to saddle the loss for the visitors.
 
Chowan plated four runs in the opening frame and did not trail until the decisive sixth inning. The Braves tacked up two hits in the sixth, but utilized several miscues by the Hawks to score four runs, including a pair of costly fielding errors and a balk on what would have been a successful steal of home by Luke Jackson.
 
Marvin Harrell hit a two-run homer with one gone in the seventh to pull the Hawks to within a run, 11-10, but Ramsey retired eight of the final 10 batters of the night to secure the win for the hosts.