Saints Take Care of Braves, Wrap up Series Win
PEMBROKE, NC – North Georgia College
& State University won their second straight game Sunday
afternoon, taking the rubber game of a three-game series 13-4 over
UNC Pembroke in Peach Belt Conference action at Sammy Cox
Field.
The Saints improve to 17-14 overall and 9-6 in the Peach Belt
Conference with the series victory, while the Braves fall short in
a bid for their first PBC series win of the season, moving to 20-11
overall and 3-8 in the league.
North Georgia recorded 19 hits at the plate as they tie a
season-high, a task they have matched two other times this year.
Brad Hall had a career day offensively, going 3-3 with two home
runs, including a grand slam, three runs scored and five runs
batted in, while Jordan Erisman drove in three runs on as many hits
while launching his fourth home run of the season. Daniel Petitti
also recorded a season-high four hits on the day while scoring two
of the Saints 13 runs.
North Georgia started their scoring in the third inning with a
trio of runs to take a 3-0 lead. Brad Hall led off the inning with
a home run to left center, while JD Burgess and Erisman drove in
the final two runs of the inning.
After a three spot in the third frame, the Saints came right back
in the fifth inning and scored six more runs on a pair of home
runs. After Craig Brisson led off the inning with an infield
single, Erisman came to the plate and sent a blast to center field,
scoring Brisson and making it 5-0. After three straight singles
loaded the bases, Hall came to the plate and delivered his second
long ball of the game, crushing a grand slam to right center to
clear the bases and give the Saints a 9-0 lead.
Andre Airich and Burgess provided RBI singles in the sixth and
seventh innings respectively as North Georgia extended their lead
to 12-0 heading to the last of the eighth. UNC Pembroke finally got
on the board with a two-run homer off the bat of Michael Tancini,
to make it 12-2. The Saints added a single run in the ninth as Adam
Baker came around to score on a Logan Sharrett fielder’s
choice, and the Braves put up two runs in the bottom half of the
inning as North Georgia got out of town with the 13-4 victory and
series win.
Michael Patton (3-2) went the distance for the Saints in the
victory, recording North Georgia’s first complete game of the
season. The sophomore went 9.0 innings, allowing nine hits and four
runs while striking out seven.
Jonathan Rivera (3-1) suffered his first loss of the season for
UNC Pembroke, giving up five runs on eight hits while striking out
two in 4.1 innings of work.
The Saints will now welcome the University of Alabama-Huntsville
to town for single games on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Game
one of the series is scheduled in primetime for 7:00 p.m., while
first pitch for the finale is set for 2:00 p.m.