Sunday, March 25, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Travis Jarome, Sports Information Director

SAINTS USE 16 HITS TO CRUISE BY UNC PEMBROKE
Senior Brannon Sikes returns to the mound and picks up victory   

PEMBROKE, N.C. – Visiting North Georgia pounded out 16 hits behind a strong outing from lefthander Brannon Sikes to lift the Saints past homestanding UNCP, 9-0, in the series rubber game Sunday afternoon at Sammy Cox Field.

Chris Beck registered his seventh two-hit performace of the season for UNCP (20-13, 5-13 PBC), who also got knocks from Kevin Dietrich and Josh Bentley. Brett George, Kevin Morrison and, Saturday's hero, Justin Rickett each turned in three hits to fuel the hit parade for North Georgia (18-12, 6-4 PBC). All but of North Georgia's 16 hits were singles.

UNCP starter Jordan Carter (2-4) sliced through the first two batter of the game, but took the loss for the Braves having yielded four runs on six hits and a pair of walks in four innings of work. Three relievers for UNP combined to surrender 10 hits and five more runs.

Sikes (3-2) picked up his third win of the season for NGCSU after striking out two and surrendering just two hits in six quality innings of work. Zach Black combined with Sikes for North Georgia's fourth shutout of the the season, working three shutout innings.

North Georgia used a quartet of hits, as well as a clutch UNCP fielding error, to plate four runs in the third and pushed its lead out to 6-0 in the sixth on the shoulders of a Josh Tate RBI single, as well as a sac fly by Rickett that brought George racing home from third.

The Saints would get three insurance runs in the last two frames, the first two coming on an eighth-inning RBI single by Rickett, with Craig Brisson and George both tallying run-scoring knocks in the ninth.

North Georgia returns to the diamond on Wednesday, hosting West Georgia at 4 p.m. at the NGCSU Baseball Complex.

-NGCSU-

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