DAHLONEGA, Ga. | The University of North Georgia scored four runs – three of them unearned -- in the bottom of the fourth inning as the Nighthawks defeated cross-mountain rival Young Harris College 8-4 Friday (April 8) evening at Bob Stein Stadium.

The Nighthawks improved to 20-15 overall and to 10-12 in the Peach Belt while the Mountain Lions fell to 11-24 and 5-14. Round two in the Battle of Blood Mountain series starts at 2 p.m. Saturday (April 9).

North Georgia took a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Steven Tomlinson in the bottom of the first off YHC starter Michael Livingston (2-6).
 
Young Harris took a 3-1 lead in the top of the third inning on a three-run homer – his seventh of 2016 - to left field by Zach Wall. Luke Miller and Nick Sexton scored on the play after reaching on singles.
 
UNG got a run back in its half of the inning on an unearned run as the Nighthawks converted on one of four errors committed by the Mountain Lions. The Nighthawks tied the game at 4 an inning later on a Devin Gearhart squeeze bunt. After a Mountain Lion error, North Georgia scored three unearned runs, including a two-run double by Sam Tidaback, to take 6-3 lead.
 
North Georgia tacked on another run in the seventh before Young Harris pulled to within 7-4 on a Troy Kizer RBI single to right-center field in the eighth inning. Kizer finished with two hits for the Mountain Lions.
 
However, the Nighthawks added an insurance run on a Kevin Krupp in the bottom half of the inning.
 
Brandon Agar (4-3) earned the win for the Nighthawks as he scattered five hits and struck out nine over seven innings.