PENSACOLA, Fla. – The University of West Florida baseball team could only muster three hits against No. 5 North Georgia, as the Nighthawks grabbed an early lead and kept the Argos quiet throughout in a 7-1 decision.
"They got a great team, great lineup, and you certainly can't give them free passes," said head coach
Mike Jeffcoat. "They did a great job hitting with runners in scoring position and with two outs. That's something we've been talking about and trying to improve on. Tonight, they just outplayed us."
North Georgia (26-7) tallied a single run in each of the game's first three innings to take a 3-0 lead. UWF (21-13) starter
Jackson Smith went 1+ innings and allowed two runs on two hits and three walks.
In the bottom of the fourth,
Tanner Halstead drove in
Ladeavon Matthews as the two connected for UWF's first two hits of the game. UNG starter Blake Gaubert was taken out after Halstead's RBI was followed with a
Robert Lopez walk and he finished his outing with two hits and one run allowed in 3.2 innings of work.
Gaubert's departure opened the door for a dominating outing by Josh Bryan, who improved to 2-0 on the year after 5.1 innings of shutout, one-hit relief. Bryan started his outing by retiring each of the first 14 Argonauts he faced.
Matthews' ended Bryan's impressive stretch with a hard-hit leadoff single to start the bottom of the ninth. Matthew's base knock was erased, however, as Bryan induced a game-ending double play to seal a 7-1 victory for UNG.
Matthews' 2-for-4 day was UWF's lone multi-hit performance. UNG held UWF to a season-low three hits.
Steven McClellan and
Jared Middleton each threw four innings of relief. McClellan only allowed one earned run on three hits, while Middleton's streak of 17 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run ended close after surrendering two runs on four hits.
West Florida was hindered by eight walks, the team's highest single-game walk total since Feb. 15.
The two-game series is scheduled to wrap up tomorrow with first pitch from Jim Spooner Field scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
To stay updated on all things UWF baseball, follow the team on Twitter @UWF_Baseball.
