DAHLONEGA, Ga. – After tying the game in the top of the ninth and taking a one-run lead in the top of the 10th, the West Florida baseball team surrendered a pair of runs in the bottom of the 10th to lose 6-5 Tuesday night at North Georgia.
 
The loss came after the Argonauts participated in Make-A-Wish Day at Bob Stein Stadium in which Royce "Cailen" Rundles, a 10-year old fourth grader, scored the game-winning run for UNG against UWF in a scripted game.
 
"It was really special to be a part of the North Georgia Make-A-Wish game, for a young man, Cailen, who's battling a disease," UWF coach Mike Jeffcoat said. "I thought our guys did a tremendous job participating in that. North Georgia ran a first-class event."
 
In the actual game, Nick Kerkmann (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) led off the 10th with a single and came around to score on a two-out Alex Greene (Orlando, Fla./Hagerty HS) single to give UWF a 5-4 lead, but it was short lived as the Nighthawks came back to win in the bottom of the inning.
 
"We had some opportunities that we continued to struggled with throughout the season," Jeffcoat said. "Give North Georgia's pitchers credit. They shut us down during the middle of the game. We had some big at bats late when we needed to stay in the game. We just couldn't hold them there in the 10th."
 
UWF (22-13) scored two in the first inning on three hits and a sacrifice fly, but UNG (22-11) tied the game 2-2 in the fourth after three hits and a UWF error. The Argos responded with a run in the fifth, but UNG took the lead back, 4-3, in the sixth.
 
Down 4-3 in the ninth, Chase Kiefer (Pensacola, Fla./Pensacola Catholic HS) led off the inning with a single then stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error on the play. He scored on a sacrifice fly from Nic Strasser (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips HS) to tie it 4-4.
 
Walker O'Connor (Bedford, Mass./Malden Catholic HS) received no decision after pitching 5.2 innings and allowing four runs, two earned.
 
Kevin Peters (Orlando, Fla./Edgewater HS) pitched 2.1 innings of hitless relief, and Reed Bright (Pelham, Ala./Snead State CC) was credited with the loss after surrendering a pair of runs in the 10th.
 
"It was another tough loss on the road for us," Jeffcoat said. "We've just got to do a better job in those tight games on the road."
 
UWF finishes the midweek series at UNG Wednesday, April 8, at 3 p.m. ET.
 
More information on the Make-A-Wish Game will be available Wednesday on GoArgos.com
 
For information on all UWF athletics, visit www.GoArgos.com.