DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia (UNG) baseball team took two wins off St. Leo in a doubleheader at Bob Stein Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park on Friday.

The series was originally scheduled to take place over three days but impending inclement weather in the northeast Georgia area forced the schedule into a doubleheader slate on Friday with the series finale set to take place Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m.

The Nighthawk offense continued to shine in both wins over the Lions on Friday as UNG rolled to a 12-5 victory in game one followed by a 9-5 comeback win in game two. 

The Nighthawks have now scored eight or more runs in six of their nine games this season. At 70 total runs they are tied for the lead in the Peach Belt Conference with No. 13 Georgia College thus far. 

UNG is 5-4 now on the season and 5-1 when it scores eight or more runs.

Game 1: Nighthawks def. Lions, 12-5
The Nighthawk offense got out to a blazing start in Friday's first game against St. Leo as UNG jumped out to a 6-0 lead after four innings.

The team started the scoring in the second inning when junior right fielder Edwin Bowman IV brought in sophomore catcher Kyle Robitzsch and freshman infielder Jake Prince on a two RBI single with one out.

With a 2-0 lead, senior catcher Bryson Stripling reached first base after a dropped third strike to keep the inning alive for UNG. That error from the Lions proved critical in the next at bat as junior outfielder Andrews Opata singled to center field to bring in Bowman and make it 3-0.

Opata added all three of UNG's runs in the bottom of the fourth with one swing as he belted his fourth homer of the season to plate Bowman and Stripling. The ball left Opata's bat unofficially at 110 mph as it soared over the left field wall.

The third-year center fielder has started the 2025 season on a mission. A mission to perhaps cement his name as one of the best players in the toughest region in NCAA Division II baseball.

Through the first nine games this year, Opata has gone 19-for-40 (.475) at the plate with a .533 on-base percentage (OBP) and an .875 slugging percentage (SLG). You don't have to do the math, that's a whopping 1.408 OPS in his first 40 at bats. That number leads the PBC by nearly 100 percentage points thus far.

The talented center fielder also leads the conference in SLG, hits, runs scored (20) and home runs. He trails only his teammate, redshirt junior first baseman Phillip Ard, in RBI with 13 as Ard has 15. He's also second in stolen bases with five bags already this year. 

As UNG looks for a breakout season in the final year under legendary head coach Tom Cantrell before the skipper's retirement, Opata is staking his claim as one of the best players in the region and perhaps the entire country.

St. Leo charged right back into the game in the top of the fifth inning. An RBI single from Dylan Mass made it 6-1 and subsequently ended a 15 inning scoreless streak for UNG graduate pitcher Pierce Williams. 

Williams had only allowed five hits while he sent down 13 batters via strikeouts in his first two outings of the season. On Friday, the lefty's start appeared to be similar to those prior as Williams struck out eight batters in the first four innings while only allowing one walk and two singles.

Things sputtered for the Douglasville, Ga. native in the fifth inning though as each of the first seven batters reached base in the inning before Williams was removed from the game.

The five-hit rally for the Lions led to three runs as the team had quickly cut the deficit in half. 

As redshirt sophomore righty Nathan Alexander took over on the mound with the bases loaded and no outs, a hit batter and fielder's choice allowed two more runs to score as the Lions had posted a five-run inning in the fifth.

With a slim 6-5 lead now, the UNG bats went back to work.

A two-run single in the sixth from redshirt junior first baseman Phillip Ard boosted the Nighthawk lead to 8-5 with one out. A subsequent balk brought in another run before Robitzsch placed a single into center field to bring in Ard and make it 10-5.

UNG's final two runs of the game came from Ard and Robitzsch once more in the seventh inning when Ard walked with the bases loaded and Robitzsch grounded out to score Opata in the next at bat.

After the Lions' five-run fifth inning, Alexander and junior right-handed pitcher Matthew Heard combined to pitch 4.2 scoreless relief innings. 

Heard took the bump to start the sixth inning and fanned five of the 13 batters he faced while allowing zero walks and just one hit to completely shut down St. Leo's offense.

Game 2: Nighthawks def. Lions, 9-5
The second game of the day was a much tighter affair than the first.

Junior shortstop Jace Bowen's RBI single to score Opata in the first inning opened a 1-0 lead for the Nighthawks after the first.

St. Leo responded to take its first lead of the day in the third inning as Adam Berry connected on a two-run home run. 

UNG reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fourth thanks to big contributions from a couple of newcomers to the program.

Redshirt freshman transfer from Young Harris Nicholas Stinson knocked in Robitzsch on a double to center to tie the game at 2-2. Then, with one out and Prince standing on second base, redshirt sophomore transfer Tyler Triche poked his first hit as a Nighthawk to left center field as his double brought in a run to put UNG up 3-2.

The Lions tied the game again the next inning with a bases loaded walk. Later in the inning with the bases still loaded, Mass did damage again as his double to right brought in two runs to secure a 5-3 lead for St. Leo.

UNG was held scoreless in its next two at bats and the situation grew more dire by the minute as it still trailed by two runs heading into the seventh inning. Ard halved the deficit with another RBI knock, marking his fourth RBI of the day.

Junior right-handed pitcher Ryan Taylor pitched a scoreless eighth inning with a pair of strikeouts to keep the Lions at bay. That setup a comeback inning for the Nighthawks in the home half of the frame.

Stinson led off the bottom of the eighth with his second double of the game. A bunt single from Prince then put runners on the corners with nobody out. Then Bowman tallied a productive out as his RBI groundout tied the game at 5-5.

A walk and hit batter then loaded the bases for none other than Opata. Of course, "Drews" singled to left to score Prince and give UNG its first lead since the fourth inning. 

Opata finished the day having gone 5-for-8 at the plate with six runs scored, a double, a home run and five RBI. He was brought in on a bases-clearing double from Bowen in the next at bat. The junior shortstop had a big day Friday as well. 

Bowen's 4-for-9 contribution at the plate with four RBI in game two alone aided UNG in the sweep. His three-run double in the eighth cemented a 9-5 lead for the Nighthawks that they would not relinquish. 

Taylor pitched another scoreless inning in the ninth to seal the win for the team and for himself, his first of the year. He finished with 2.1 relief innings, no runs, no walks, one hit and three strikeouts.