FLORENCE, SC – Nineteenth-ranked and conference-leading University of North Georgia rallied for eight runs over the final three innings to claim an 11-5 victory over Francis Marion University, Friday afternoon (April 17) in the opening contest of a three-game Peach Belt Conference baseball series.

The two squads will play a Senior Day doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. on FMU's Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium.  Prior to the first pitch, Francis Marion will recognize its seven seniors.  It will also be Youth Day with any youth league player gaining free admittance (along with their parents) if wearing their team jersey.

Francis Marion drops to 24-15 overall and 12-11 in the PBC, while North Georgia improves to 29-11 and 19-6 with its eighth consecutive win.

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What started out as a pitchers' duel, 1-1 heading to the top of the sixth inning, saw 14 runners cross home plate over the final four frames.

FMU junior left-hander Matt Kelley (6-3) was tagged with the loss as he surrendered six runs (three earned) on five hits in 6.1 innings.  He also fanned six and walked five.

UNG sophomore righty Chris Cobb (3-0), the second of three Nighthawk hurlers, was the beneficiary of the late rally and was credited with the win.  Southpaw Taylor Keinat earned his third save of 2015 by tossing 2.1 scoreless innings.

Junior left fielder JD Crowe led FMU at the plate with a 3-for-5 effort that included two runs scored and a long solo home run.  He extended his streak of reaching base safely to 24 games.  Junior designated hitter Ryan Miller was 2-for-5, while sophomore first baseman Zach Paquette came off the bench and drove in two runs with a sacrifice fly and a single.

Crowe's solo shot leading off the last of the fourth broke a scoreless deadlock and put Francis Marion up 1-0. North Georgia answered with a single run in the top of the fifth to again tie the score.

The Nighthawks took a 3-1 advantage on a two-run homer to left by right fielder Andrew Gordon in the top of the sixth.  The Patriots responded with a three-run rally in the bottom of the sixth to retake the advantage at 4-3.  The first run scored on Paquette's pinch-hit sacrifice fly that was dropped by the UNG left fielder.  Junior second baseman Cole Morris followed with a two-run single to center.

However, North Georgia took advantage of a pair of FMU errors in the top of the seventh to score four times and grab a 7-4 lead.  The Patriots trimmed the margin to 7-5 when Paquette dropped an RBI single down the left field line in the last of the seventh, but Keinat entered the game with the bases loaded and got an inning-ending ground out.

UNG added two insurance runs in both the eighth and ninth innings.

#19 U. of North Georgia 11, Francis Marion Univ. 5 (Apr 17, 2015 at Florence, SC)
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U. of North Georgia. 000 012 422  - 11 11  2      (29-11, 19-6 PBC)
Francis Marion Univ. 000 103 100  -  5 10  2      (24-15, 12-11 PBC)
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Pitchers: U. of North Georgia - Brandon Agar; Chris Cobb(6); Taylor Keinat(7) and Sam Tidaback.
Francis Marion Univ. - Matt Kelley; Jeremiah Freeman(7); Cody Dix(7); Shuler Ward(8) and
Matt Rubino.
Win-Chris Cobb(3-0)  Save-Taylor Keinat(3)  Loss-Matt Kelley(6-3)  T-3:21  A-541
HR UNG - Andrew Gordon (13).
HR FMU - JD Crowe (6).
Weather: Overcast,68, Winds NE @ 5 mph
Freeman faced 2 batters in the 7th.