DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia baseball team suffered a late rally at the hands of Georgia College Saturday afternoon, resulting in a 9-7 loss. The Nighthawks honored their four seniors prior to the game at Bob Stein Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park but were unable to celebrate with a win. They'll still get a chance to do so in the final regular season game at Bob Stein Stadium with a 1 p.m. finale tomorrow, Sunday, Apr. 28 against GCSU.

The scoring started early in the game for both teams. The Bobcats got on the board in the first inning after a two-run home run from third baseman Matthew Mebane.

Sophomore second baseman Brady Skipper answered with a two run blast of his own, his sixth of the year, scoring freshman outfielder Noah Darden to tie it at 2-2 after one inning of play.

GCSU kept things rolling with a three-run second inning as catcher Rand Bestermann hit his third home run of the series to score all three runs. 

The baseballs kept flying in the third as redshirt sophomore Phillip Ard smashed his 11th home run of the season to make it 5-3. 

UNG got an unearned run later in the third after a bunt single from sophomore outfielder Edwin Bowman IV led to a throwing error to bring home Skipper and make it a one run game. 

Bobcat second baseman Mason Poole scored on a wild pitch in the fourth inning to make it 6-4 with GCSU in front.

That score would hold all the way until the eighth inning as Nighthawk redshirt junior reliever Pierce Williams pitched scoreless fifth, sixth and seventh innings to keep the Bobcats at bay. 

Then in the eighth, the UNG offense came to life to take its first lead of the series. 

Senior utility player Jack Davis started the inning with a single and junior catcher Bryson Stripling followed with a double. 

Then, sophomore center fielder Andrews Opata placed a single through the right side to bring home Davis. 

With runners on the corners, Darden tied the game on a fielder's choice ground ball to short.

With two outs and Darden on third after a stolen base and wild pitch, Skipper came in clutch for the Nighthawks again. His single to right center gave UNG the lead in the eighth. 

In the ninth, redshirt junior left-handed reliever Zach Green took the hill again after coming into the game to start the eighth inning. While Green got GCSU second baseman Braeden Smith to ground out in the lead off position, a single from right fielder Brandon Bellflower in the next at bat removed Green from the game in favor of sophomore righty Jaret Bales. 

Bales hit his first batter in Mebane before giving up a double to left fielder Evan Cowan, tying the game at 7-7. 

After a line out, Bobcat center fielder Cam McNearney doubled to left center to score a pair of runs and give GCSU the lead again at 9-7. 

As Bowman earned a one-out walk in the bottom of the ninth, the Nighthawks had the tying run at the plate but were unable to manufacture a comeback.