DAHLONEGA – The No. 14 University of North Georgia (UNG) baseball team took down No. 9 North Greenville (NGU) in a thrilling 4-2 victory at Bob Stein Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park Tuesday night. 

With the win, UNG (34-12, 21-3 Peach Belt) exacted revenge after a 14-10 loss to the Trailblazers (40-10, 18-9 Conference Carolinas) back on April 8. In the process, the Nighthawks improved their resume going into the postseason as the program eyes its first NCAA regional berth since 2017. 

UNG has now won six of its last seven games and enters the final weekend of the regular season on the brink of its first Peach Belt Conference Regular-season title since 2019.

Tuesday's triumph came behind highlight performances from Nighthawk veterans and clutch pitching from the bullpen. 

In the first inning, graduate starter Pierce Williams did something that UNG was unable to do in seven of eight innings in its first matchup against NGU; put up a zero on the scoreboard. In the first meeting of the season, the Trailblazers scored at least one run in each of the first seven innings of the game before finally being held scoreless in the bottom of the eighth.

On Tuesday, Williams retired the side in order with a groundout and two strikeouts to set the tone early in the game. 

Then redshirt junior Phillip Ard set the tone offensively in the bottom half of the frame. 

After a single from junior shortstop Jace Bowen, Ard blasted his 19th home run of the year over the left field wall. The slugger gave the Nighthawks a 2-0 lead and moved into fifth nationally in home runs this season. Ard also ranks No. 2 in the country in RBIs having now batted in a staggering 78 runners this season.

Holding a 2-0 lead, Williams kept NGU at bay over the next three innings. The Nighthawk ace finished the night with four innings pitched, one hit allowed, zero walks and three strikeouts.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, UNG expanded its lead thanks to the powerful bat of another Nighthawk veteran.

This time it was junior center fielder Andrews Opata who landed a big punch in this battle between Southeast Region heavyweights. 

After junior second baseman Brady Skipper singled to lead off the inning, Opata stepped up with two outs as UNG was at risk of thwarting the Skipper single. Opata made due when he cranked a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left center field that landed 370 feet away from where it started. 

Opata joined Ard as the only Nighthawks with double digit homers this season as the two-run shot marked his 10th dinger of the year. 

The Trailblazers responded in the top of the fifth by loading the bases with zero outs. A pair of RBI groundouts brought in the only runs of the day for NGU who entered the contest leading the nation in hits while also ranking third in runs. 

The Trailblazers were completely shut down for the remainder of the game. 

Junior reliever Ryan Taylor entered in the sixth and pitched three scoreless innings by only giving up one hit. 

Taylor's performance gave way to junior right-handed pitcher Connor Harris who was handed the ball in the eighth inning. Harris also pitched a scoreless frame that was highlighted by an outstanding play in a critical spot to end the inning. 

After giving up base hits to two of the first three batters, NGU was in prime position to tie the game or take the lead. 

With Landon Shaw at the plate and the top of the order looming in the on deck circle, Harris was firmly in a jam with runners at first and second with one out. 

After getting ahead 1-2 in the count, Harris beat Shaw with another pitch as he busted him inside with a fastball. Shaw swung wildly and the ball dribbled off the handle of his bat right back to Harris on the mound. The pitcher turned and fired to Skipper covering the bag at second base for the first out. Skipper twisted and gunned the ball to Ard who scooped the laser beam off the turf for an inning-ending 1-4-3 double play. 

In the ninth, head coach Tom Cantrell went to his trusted closer to finish the game. 

Graduate lefty Zach Green took over on the mound in search of his sixth save of the season. 

Facing the top of the order, Green started his outing with a fastball to get ahead 0-1. He then twirled a darting slider that sent Trailblazer third baseman Bryce Roddey hopelessly chasing out of the zone. After missing with a second slider, Green tripled down and spun another that Roddey waved at and missed once more for the first out. 

Against Brett Blomquist, Green entered the strike zone via the backdoor with a fourth consecutive slider. Ahead 0-1, the lefty aimed a fastball up and in on Blomquist that sizzled into the zone so fast the Blomquist lost control of his bat and sent it flying back to the screen as he swung through strike two. After another foul ball, Green dotted a fastball low and outside that Blomquist simply had no chance of catching up to. Two down.

Down to its last out, NGU first baseman Josh Foulks stepped into the right-handed batter's box in an attempt to keep the game alive. He fell behind as Green pumped another fastball upstairs that Foulks just nicked with the end of his barrel for a foul ball. 

Foulks kept the bat on his shoulder for the second pitch and watched a slider miss on the outside of the plate. Green went back to the fastball and Foulks got a better piece of it but was still too late as he zipped a line drive foul over the first base dugout. 

Seeing Foulks catch up to the fastball, Green went back to the bread and butter and tightened a slider grip in his glove as he came set. The pitch left Green's hand and appeared it was going to land in the left-handed batter's box opposite Foulks. At the last second the ball darted inside and landed in the strike zone. All Foulks could do was watch. 

Green stepped off the mound, let out a yell and pumped his fist four times in celebration. 

As UNG's closer struck out the side to finish the game in the ninth and cement the team's second victory over a ranked opponent this season, he capped off one of the most impressive pitching performances from the team this season. 

NGU arrived in Dahlonega averaging 11.4 hits and 9.5 runs per game, ranking in the top 3 across the country in both categories. With just five hits allowed Tuesday, the Nighthawks held the Trailblazers to their lowest hit total of the season. It was just the third time NGU had been limited to five hits on offense. Its two total runs marked their second-lowest offensive output of the year and just the fifth time the Trailblazers had been held to five runs or less. 

The victory injects momentum into a Nighthawk team that will head to Milledgeville, Ga. to take on Georgia College (GCSU) for the final series of the regular season. 

With just one win against the Bobcats, UNG will clinch hosting rights for the opening weekend of the 2025 PBC Tournament as it will finish no worse than second in the league and the top two seeds in the conference host the opening rounds of postseason play. 

The Nighthawks hold a one-game lead over second-place Lander ahead of the final weekend of the season. The Bearcats will head to Americus, Ga. to face Georgia Southwestern for the last three games of the year. 

If UNG matches Lander's win total for the weekend, the Nighthawks will clinch the outright PBC Regular-season title. If the Bearcats win one more game than the Nighthawks, the two teams will share the regular-season crown and UNG will earn the top seed in the tournament having claimed a series win over Lander back in March. If the Bearcats win two or more games than the Nighthawks, they will claim the outright title. 

Both series begin on Friday, April 25 with a 6 p.m. first pitch and will conclude on Sunday, April 27 at 1 p.m.