Falcons Drop a Pair to 17th-Ranked North Georgia, 7-3 and 9-8
DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The University of Montevallo baseball team (6-22, 0-12 PBC) was swept in a doubleheader by 17th-ranked North Georgia College and State University (19-8, 9-3 PBC), 7-3 and 9-8. The Falcons were led by freshman Austin Dubberly (Helena, Ala./Pelham) who went 4-for-7 at the plate with a double, a run scored and three RBI. Sophomore Duston Daugherty (Hoover, Ala./Hoover) also had four hits as he went 4-for-10 with a double, three runs scored and an RBI.
Junior Scottie Deason (Hoover, Ala./Spain Park) was 3-of-8 with a triple, a run scored and two RBIs. Senior Kevin Garcia (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico/Dunedin) also had a pair of RBIs as he went 1-for-6 at the plate.
Senior Justin Aaron (Morris, Ala./Mortimer Jordan) got the start and pitched the first 0.1 innings while walking one and giving up three runs. Junior Cameron Sokalski (Delta, British Columbia/North Delta) pitched the next 2.0 innings while striking out one and walking another and holding the Saints to just one hit. Sophomore Wes Rich (Pelham, Ala./Pelham) took over for 4.0 innings and struck out six and walked just two. Rich took home the loss as his record fell to 1-3 on the year. The final UM pitcher of the game was senior John Michael Caraway (Trussville, Ala./Clay-Chalkville) who pitched 1.2 innings and struck out one.
In game two junior Joey Noro (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) got the start as he went 6.1 innings. He struck out five while walking just two. Senior Kyle Johanson (Bowman, Ga./Elbert County) pitched the next inning while giving up just one hit. Sophomore Brett Roney (Wetumpka, Ala./Wetumpka) pitched the final 0.2 innings while striking out one and walking another. Roney took home the loss as his record fell to 0-2.
UM fell behind quickly in game one as the Saints scored three runs in the very first inning. The Falcons answered with a run in the third as Dubberly hit a single to right centerfield that drove home Daugherty. UM scored another run in the fourth as junior Josh Dabbs (Hueytown, Ala./Hueytown) hit a solo homerun to right centerfield. The Falcons comeback was completed in the fifth as an RBI single from Garcia scored the tying run to make the score 3-3.
The Saints responded with a run in the fifth and sixth and then two in the eighth which put the game out of reach as the Falcons fell 7-3.
Both teams started out slow in game two as neither team scored in the first two innings. UM notched the board first in the third inning as Daugherty scored on a throwing error by the catcher and then Dubberly scored on a suicide squeeze bunt by Garcia. The Saints answered in the bottom half with four runs of their own to take a 4-2 lead.
Another run by the Saints in the fourth made it 5-2 but the Falcons responded in the sixth as freshman Heath McGuirk (Pelham, Ala./Pelham) hit an RBI single through the left side to score senior Chris Sosebee (Warrior, Ala./Sumiton Christian). The Saints once again responded with three runs in the bottom half to make it 8-3.
UM exploded in the eighth as the Falcons scored five runs including a two-RBI triple by Deason. Dubberly also had a two-RBI double in the inning and the other run was driven in by a Daugherty double.
Tied 8-8 with just an inning and a half to play the Saints scored the go ahead run in the bottom of the eighth as a single up the middle drove home the game-winning run.
The Falcons will return to action Wednesday, March 24 at 3 p.m. as they host the University of Alabama-Huntsville in a single-game.
 |  |
