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By: Josh Fuller

FLORENCE, S.C. – The fifth-ranked and top-seeded Columbus State University baseball team rallied from an early 6-3 deficit before North Georgia scored the game-winning run in the top of the ninth to defeat the Cougars 7-6 in the opening game of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament Wednesday. The tournament is being held at Sparrow Stadium in Florence, S.C.
 
Down 6-3 after two innings, CSU (39-12) chipped away at the Nighthawk lead and eventually tied the game in eighth.
 
Beginning his seventh inning of work, freshman reliever Kolton Ingram went back to the mound in the ninth for the Cougars. Devin Gearhart led the inning off with a single through the left side of the infield before a miscue by the Cougars put two runners on with no outs. Ryan Tomita squared around to bunt and rolled the ball to Ingram off the mound. The freshman tried to go to second to retire Gearhart, but the throw wasn't in time allowing both runners to be safe.
 
Ingram quickly regained his focus though getting a fly out and a strikeout for the first two outs of the inning. After a hit batter loaded the bases, a wild pitch allowed Gearhart to score the go-ahead run.
 
The Cougars were able to get a one-out walk in the bottom of the ninth, but that was all as the Nighthawks scored the first win of the tournament.
 
"That was a tough game to lose, but it is baseball and we have to get right back out there tomorrow," said head coach Greg Appleton. "That is the good thing about this new format, just because you lose one game doesn't mean that you are eliminated."
 
The game started with a bang as UNG (31-19) scored two runs in the top of the first. However, the Cougars roared back in the bottom of the frame taking a 3-2 lead.
 
With one-out, Ryan Ihle blooped a double into shallow left while Mike McClellan followed with a sharp single to make it a 2-1. The fireworks continued as Christian Miller homered on the first pitch he saw to put the Cougars on top 3-2.
 
North Georgia continued swinging the bats in the second scoring four more runs off of Cougar starter Brandon Koehler. Three straight hits started the inning leading to a Nighthawk run.
 
UNG got a run on a wild pitch to go ahead 4-3 before Sam Tidaback doubled deep into the left-centerfield gap to plate another. Trevor Sams capped off the inning's scoring with a single.
 
After stranding the bases loaded in the third, CSU came back with two runs of their own in the fourth. Hunter Bowling started all the action himself hitting a leadoff solo homer to make it a 6-4 game. Tyler Fichter followed with his second double of the game while Jackon Oliver went the other way, singling through the left side of the infield to make it a one-run game.
 
CSU failed to score the tying run stranding Oliver on third in the inning.
 
Columbus State didn't have any scoring chances again until the seventh when Miller legged out an infield single and Matt Nettles picked up a two-out double. However, UNG starter Brandon Agar was able to get out of the jam.
 
The Cougars were finally able to tie it up in the eighth. Back-to-back singles by Bowling and Fichter started the inning before Oliver sacrificed both up a base. After a pitching change, Ihle hit a soft roller to third that Bowling attempted to score on, but the throw was in time for the second out of the inning.
 
With runners on the corners, McClellan came through in the clutch for the Cougars tying the game on a single. On the play, Ihle was caught in a rundown between home and third and was retired for the third out of the frame sending the game tied into the ninth.
 
Ingram (2-3) was hit with the tough luck loss. The freshman threw 7.2 innings in relief allowing just one run on four hits. He struck out seven while walking just one. Prior to today's outing, Ingram's longest appearance was just two innings.
 
Jacob Jones (3-1) got the win after pitching one inning while Agar was struck with a no-decision after 7.1 innings of work.
 
Miller (3-for-5) and Fichter (3-for-4) each had three hits for the Cougars. Miller had the two-run homer while Fichter had two doubles. Three other CSU players had two hits.
 
Gearhart was 3-for-5 with a double and two runs for the Nighthawks.
 
The Cougars will now take on fifth-seeded Augusta Thursday at 7 p.m. The Jaguars will take on fourth-seeded Georgia College later this evening in Pool A play.