DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia (UNG) baseball team dropped the final game of a three-game series 6-4 at Mississippi College (MC) Sunday afternoon.

UNG fell to 3-4 on the season while the Choctaws improved to 3-3 with the win. 

The Nighthawks started Sunday's game from behind after MC scored the opening run of the game on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning.

UNG finally tied the game in the third inning as junior shortstop Jace Bowen singled up the middle to score junior center fielder Andrews Opata and make it 1-1.

In the fourth inning, the Choctaws broke the tie with an RBI single from Tyler Jacobsen. They made it 3-1 two batters later with a bases-loaded walk.

Redshirt junior Phillip Ard pulled his team one run closer with an opposite-field solo home run in the top of the fifth. Ard, who led UNG with 11 long balls last season, has two homers this season and currently leads the team with 11 total RBI.

In the next inning, it was another deep fly that gave the Nighthawks their first lead of the game. This time, junior right fielder Edwin Bowman IV connected on his first home run of the season to straight away center field for a two-run blast as freshman infielder Jake Prince was brought home on the deep shot.

UNG held its 4-3 lead into the eighth inning before the Choctaws began to mount a comeback. They tied the game with an RBI double from Korey Cooper to make it 4-4.

Later in the inning, with the bases loaded and two outs, Logan Shurden punched a single through the right side of the infield to plate two more runs and give his team a 6-4 lead.

UNG was retired in order in the top of the ninth to end the game.

Now the Nighthawks will return home for a three-game series against St. Leo. The non-conference showdown begins on Friday, Feb. 14 with a 4 p.m. start from Bob Stein Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park.