(DAHLONEGA) – The University of North Georgia baseball team rallied to score one in the ninth inning and walked it off on a single off the bat of freshman Noah Darden to pick up the 5-4 victory over Salem on Saturday to earn the non-conference series sweep on Alumni Weekend.
Senior Jacob Lassiat (1-0) was credited with the win out of the bullpen for North Georgia (5-1). The right-hander went 0.1 shutout innings without giving up a hit. Junior Daniel Courtney started the ballgame and went five innings, surrendering three runs, earned, on five hits, walking none and striking out six.
Offensively the Nighthawks were paced by freshman Kyle Robitzsch, who went 2-for-3 on the day with a double, a walk and an RBI. Sophomore Phillip Ard put together a standout performance at the dish as well, going 1-for-2 with a double and a walk. Junior Riley Frost also chipped in for North Georgia, putting together one hit in four trips to the plate while adding an RBI.
Trailing 3-0, the Nighthawks first put runs on the board in the third inning.
The game remained tied until the sixth inning, when the Nighthawks got going again on offense. Robitzsch came across to score the lone run of the inning for North Georgia, which brought the score to 4-3 in favor of the Nighthawks.
Salem then rallied to tie the ballgame at 4-4 before North Georgia walked it off in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI single off the bat of Darden.
North Georgia will hit the road for the first time this season on Tuesday (Feb. 13) when the Nighthawks travel to Carrollton to take on West Georgia. First pitch for North Georgia first midweek game of the season is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
