Salisbury, N.C. —- The 6th-ranked Catawba College baseball team brought the game-tying run to the plate in the ninth inning of its midweek contest versus Peach Belt leader North Georgia, but fell short, dropping the game 5-4 at Newman Park on Wednesday.

TEAM STATISTICS

- Catawba out-hit North Georgia 9-7

- The Catawba Indians recorded three of five extra-base hits and the lone homer

- The Nighthawks committed the lone error in the game

- Both teams left nine runners on base

- Catawba recorded all five stolen bases in the game

- The Catawba Indian pitchers allowed four earned runs on seven hits and nine walks, striking out 11, while UNG's staff allowed four runs on nine hits and five walks, striking out five

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Dylan Driver was 4-for-5 with a homer, two RBI, two runs scored and three stolen bases

- Cole Hales drove in two runs on a single

- Hunter Atkins doubled twice

- Austin Fine and Casey Gouge both recorded two scoreless innings on the mound

HOW IT HAPPENED

THIRD INNING

- Two singles and a double brought home North Georgia's first run with nobody out in the third

- A double play scored another run before a two-out base hit made it 3-0 UNG

FIFTH INNING

- Driver singled and stole second to lead off the fifth

- A double steal allowed Hales' single to score two runs

EIGHTH INNING

- Two walks and a wild pitch put runners on second and third with one out

- A sac fly brought in an insurance run for the Nighthawks before a passed ball made it a 5-2 North Georgia lead

NINTH INNING

- James Dunlap walked before Driver's team-leading ninth homer of the season to pull within one

- UNG's closer settled in and retired the next two batters in order for the save

UP NEXT

- Catawba baseball has the weekend off; they'll return to game action next week, traveling to USC Aiken for a 6 p.m. start on Wednesday