Columbus State’s rally not enough in Peach Belt Conference tournament loss to North Georgia

North Georgia scored a run in the top of the ninth inning to edge No. 5 Columbus State 7-6 on Wednesday in the first round of the Peach Belt Conference tournament.

North Georgia scored six runs in the first two innings and led CSU 6-3. The Cougars slowly climbed back into the game, tying the Nighthawks in the eighth.

But CSU reliever Kolton Ingram, who had held North Georgia scoreless for 6 2/3 innings, couldn’t keep the Nighthawks at bay in the ninth.

Devin Gearhart led off with a single. Ryan Tomita laid down a bunt, and Ingram threw to second base to try and get Gearhart, but he beat the throw.

Ingram retired the next two batters before hitting a batter to load the bases. Then a wild pitch allowed Gearhart score the go-ahead run.

“That was a tough game to lose, but it is baseball and we have to get right back out there tomorrow,” CSU coach Greg Appleton said.

The PBC tournament is being played with a pool play format. There are eight teams split into two pools. Each team plays the other three teams in its pool. The winners of the two pools will meet for the championship on Sunday. CSU plays Augusta at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Georgia College at 11 a.m. Saturday.

“That is the good thing about this new format, just because you lose one game doesn’t mean that you are eliminated,” Appleton said.

North Georgia (31-19) scored two runs in the top of the first against CSU starter Brandon Koehler.

The Cougars responded with three in the bottom of the first. Mike McClellan singled in a run, then Christian Miller hit a two-run homer.

The Nighthawks scored four in the second to knock Koehler out of the game.

CSU cut the deficit to two, 6-4, in the fourth. Hunter Bowling led off with a homer, and Jackson Oliver drove in a run with a single.

CSU scored a single run in the seventh on Matt Nettles’ two-out double. The Cougars tied it in the eighth on a McClellan single.

Ingram (2-3), a freshman, sufferedf the loss. He allowed just one run on four hits, while striking out seven.

Miller and Tyler Fichter had three hits apiece for CSU.

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Columbus State’s rally not enough in Peach Belt Conference tournament loss to North Georgia."