DAHLONEGA | After one-day signee Cailen Rundles scored the game-winning run for UNG in the resumption of a halted game from a previous season, the 26th-ranked University of North Georgia baseball team got another walk-off win with a pinch-hit RBI single through the right side by
Ryan Tomita in the bottom of the 10th inning, to make the Nighthawks victorious, 6-5.
The special evening started off with the resumption of a “halted game” from last season, that eventually saw Cailen Rundles – a fourth grader from Murrayville, Ga., battling a chiari malformation – score the game-winning run from third to give UNG its first win of the evening.
In the second game of the day, West Florida (22-13) would get off to a good start using one-of-two triples on the night to plate the first run of the game. A sacrifice fly from Nic Strasser later that inning, gave the Argonauts a 2-0 lead.
It was a while before North Georgia (22-11) got anything going on offense, but Tremayne Toorie provided a big spark in the fourth with a solo shot over the center field wall. Andrew Gordon added a two-out RBI single down the left field line to tie the game at 2-2.
The Argos plated an unearned run in the fifth, but the Hawks answered in the sixth with two runs, putting UNG on top for the first time, 4-3.
UWF once again pushed in another unearned run in the to of the ninth with another sacrifice fly from Strasser, equaling the score at 4-4. That set the stage for a possible repeat of the game that was resumed earlier in the night, that also featured a 4-4 score. The Nighthawks would come up empty in the ninth however, taking the game to extra innings.
Alex Greene drove in the go-ahead run for West Florida in the top of the 10th, but UNG would not go quietly as the bottom frame of the inning would provide a dramatic finish.
In the bottom of the 10th, Toorie led off with walk and then advanced to third on Sam Tidaback‘s double to right field. Travis Naraine would draw a walk and ball four would end getting to the backstop allowing just enough time for Toorie to slide his hand onto home plate just before the tag from pitcher Reed Bright. After a groundout, the Argos would intentionally walk Gordon to set up a possible game-ending double play, but the Hawks would have nothing of the sort as UNG skipper Tom Cantrell went to his lineup card to bring in Ryan Tomita to pinch hit with the bases loaded. Tomita took the 2-1 pitch through the right side and was welcomed to first by a mob of his teammates as Cameron Crawford crossed to score the winning run.
Chip Fleming (2-0) earned the win as the pitcher of record having thrown the top of the 10th inning. Fleming was the fourth pitcher used as Cantrell had planned to use multiple hurlers throughout the game.
The Nighthawks will go for the series sweep Wednesday. First pitch is set for 3 p.m., at Bob Stein Stadium.