Box Score

DAHLONEGA, GA – The 19th-ranked North Georgia baseball team closed out the regular season on Wednesday evening, playing host to cross-town rival Truett-McConnell and taking down the Bears 7-3 in non-conference action at Bob Stein Stadium.

North Georgia ends the regular season at 34-16 on the year, taking two of three from Truett-McConnell in the season series, while the Bears fall to 25-22 in their first year as a four-year institution.

The Saints jumped on top early with three runs in the first and one more in the second to take a 4-0 advantage. After tallying a run in the fourth, the Bears scored their first run of the day in the fifth to cut the North Georgia lead back to four at 5-1.

Both teams added a pair of runs in the eighth as the Bears cut the saints’ lead to just two, but Andre Airich lined a single to bring home a run and then a double steal led to the second run as the Saints took the runs right back and cruised to a 7-3 regular season finale victory.

Jordan Erisman had another three-hit performance, his seventh three-hit game of the season as the sophomore extended his hitting streak to 20 games. He also added two runs batted in to extend his RBI total to 46 on the year.

James Wiley (5-1) picked up the win, tossing 6.0 innings and allowing a run on six hits while striking out five and not walking a batter. Jacob Rickett came on in the eighth and tossed the ninth to pick up his 11th save of the year.

Before the game, North Georgia honored the 10 seniors playing in their final game at Bob Stein Stadium. Chris Rearick, Brandon Garcia, Justin Yackee, Nick White, Adam Baker, Craig Brisson, Daniel Petitti, Andre Airich, Davy Wallach, and Anders Oster were recognized before first pitch.

North Georgia will now turn their attention to the 2010 PBC baseball tournament hosted by USC Aiken at Roberto Hernandez Stadium in Aiken, South Carolina.

Flagler and North Georgia will play their opening-round game at Lake Olmstead Stadium in Augusta, Ga., at 11:00 am on Saturday, while simultaneously Francis Marion will battle Georgia Southwestern with the two winners facing off in one of two semi-final games prior to the championship on Sunday.

North Georgia has played in the tournament championship game in each of the last two years, both times against Francis Marion as the Saints captured the first matchup in the 2008 title game, while the Patriots won the rematch in 2009. The Saints are 6-1 all-time in the PBC tournament after becoming eligible to complete for NCAA championships in the spring of 2008.