AMERICUS, Ga. – The No. 22 University of North Georgia (UNG) baseball team rallied from a 4-0 deficit to comeback and take a 5-4 win on the road at Georgia Southwestern (GSW) Friday night.

The Nighthawks (26-9, 14-2 Peach Belt) have now won six straight games and 15 of their last 17 with the come-from-behind victory over the Hurricanes (23-14, 11-5 Peach Belt). They sit tied with Georgia College for first place in the league. 

UNG entered Friday's contest as the team to beat in the PBC this season. With the best offense in the conference leading the league in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, total bases, slugging percentage, walks and on-base percentage, the Nighthawks have had a target on their back this season. 

GSW appeared to hit the bullseye when it took a 3-0 lead in the second inning after a two-run triple and an RBI single. 

The Hurricanes added an insurance run in the fourth inning after a wild pitch from UNG senior starter Pierce Williams.

Despite the four earned runs allowed, the lefty Williams was sensational on the mound in his 10th start of the year. He completed 6.2 innings of work with nine hits and only two walks while striking out eight GSW batters. 

Williams has now recorded six starts this year with five or more strikeouts. His efforts on Friday were just enough to keep the Hurricanes within striking distance for the offense.

UNG began to mount its comeback in the fifth inning as it loaded the bases with just one out in the frame. However, the offense only came away with one run on a fielder's choice ground ball from junior center fielder Andrews Opata. 

Opata added his second RBI of the day in his next at bat in the seventh inning as he laced a double to the gap in left center, scoring senior catcher Bryson Stripling.

Yet, the GSW pitching staff kept the Nighthawks off the scoreboard for the rest of the seventh and eighth innings. 

UNG headed into the ninth trailing by two runs. A lead-off single from Stripling preceded another double from Opata and put runners at second and third. 

A passed ball brought in Stripling and moved Opata, the tying run, over to third base. 

However, hope appeared lost as freshman infielder Jake Prince and redshirt junior first baseman Phillip Ard both struck out swinging. UNG was down to its last out with a rookie stepping to the plate in redshirt freshman Nicholas Stinson. 

Stinson battled through a tough at bat and worked a full-count. Then sophomore outfielder Kyle Robitzsch came to the plate. With Robitzsch ahead in the count, Hurricanes pitcher Carsen Plumadore yanked a fastball into the dirt that skipped past the catcher. 

Opata bolted from third and beat a play at the plate with a head-first slide, tying the game at 4-4. 

Robitzsch then walked and so did senior third baseman Riley Frost to load the bases once again. This time senior outfielder Jorge Arispuro would get a chance to give UNG the lead. 

He did just that with a groundball deep in the hole at shortstop. Arispuro sped down the first base line and beat the throw as Stinson crossed the plate. 

After trailing 4-0 in the game and 4-2 in the ninth inning, the Nighthawks had rallied to score three runs and take the lead, two of which came while facing their final out. 

Head coach Tom Cantrell chose left-handed graduate pitcher Zach Green to close out the game in the ninth inning. 

Green is one of the clear-cut leaders of this Nighthawk team. There is no bigger cheerleader or louder hype man in the dugout on game days than the Gainesville, Ga. native. 

He's been in this position before. His enthusiasm and competitive fury are reasons he's often the preferred choice for Cantrell to close out opponents. With that responsibility has come varying success this year for Green. 

While the lefty ranks third in the league with a team-high four saves this year, he's also been the pitcher in a few losses as well.

Green was on the mound when Mississippi College came back from down 2-1 in the ninth to win 3-2 back in early February. He also pitched in a loss against Lander, allowing two of the Bearcats' three runs in a comeback victory.

Yet, there's a reason Cantrell trusts the hard-throwing lefty. It's because no one, in either dugout, wants to win more than he does. 

In the first at bat of the ninth, Green fell behind in the count 2-0 to Manuel. He battled back to a 2-2 count before pumping a fastball upstairs that appeared to be fueled by anger more than arm strength. Manuel helplessly swung through it for the strikeout.

In the next at bat, Green threw a slider for a first-pitch strike that resembled the late bend of an amusement park water slide. Behind 2-1 he went to the fastball. Up and in for a swinging strike two against Danile Hernandez. Then he rode the bottom rail with another fastball. Dotted. Hernandez only watched and slumped his shoulders at the called strike three. Green let out a roar as he knew he was one out away from cementing the win

The lineup flipped over to the lead-off hitter in Jarrett Jenkins and Green did just that. Jenkins fouled off a fastball for strike one and then looked at a low slider for a second strike. Two pitches later, Jenkins lifted a breaking ball to center field where Opata charged and camped under it to collect the final out.

Against a shell shocked GSW lineup that inconceivably trailed in the game after leading practically all night, Green motored through the ninth inning behind the fire in his eyes and his arm. 

He locked up his fourth save of the year with his seventh scoreless outing of the season. 

The Nighthawks will return to the field in Americus, Ga. with a chance to win the series on Saturday, April 5. First pitch in the second game of the series is slated for 2 p.m.