AMERICUS - Georgia Southwestern scored four runs over the final two innings on Sunday afternoon at Hurricane Stadium, but 12th-ranked North Georgia prevailed, 8-4, in the Peach Belt Conference series finale.
GSW was swept in the three-game set and dropped to 9-3 overall, 0-3 in the PBC while North Georgia improved to 9-2 overall, 3-0 in conference play.
North Georgia pushed across a run in the first and another in the third to take an early 2-0 lead. Both runners who scored for the Nighthawks had reached base on a walk.
The first three North Georgia batters in the fourth inning reached base safely and the Nighthawks then scored on a hit batter and a sacrifice fly to extend their lead to 4-0.
The crushing blow came in the eighth inning when, leading 5-0, Sam Tidaback delivered a one-out, three-run blast to left to put UNG ahead by eight runs.
Evan Alderman broke up the shutout in bottom half of the eighth with a one-out, two-run double to center that scored Devyn Newberry and Zach Barron.
In the ninth, the Hurricanes loaded the bases and eventually scored twice on wild pitches before UNG recorded the final out, leaving two men on base.
The Hurricanes did not have a batter finish with multiple hits in the game.
Trevor Sams, Joshua Peterson and Erick Delgado recorded two hits apiece for North Georgia.
GSW used three different pitchers in the contest. Starter Layne Gusler (1-1) suffered his first loss of the season after throwing 91 pitches over four innings. Gusler walked four, struck out six and allowed four runs while holding the Nighthawks to three hits. Mitch Holloway kept UNG in check for three innings as he walked two, struck out two and allowed three hits but no runs. Kyle Spinks pitched the final two frames.
UNG starting pitcher Blake Gaubert was efficient over four innings of work as he held GSW to one hit and no runs while walking one and striking out five in 48 total pitches. Daniel McCrary (2-0) was charged with two runs during his 3 1/3 innings of relief. Jacob Jones and Avery Greer threw 2/3 of an inning apiece and Taylor Keinat recorded the final out.
Southwestern hosts 14th-ranked West Georgia on Tuesday for a non-conference game at 5 p.m.
