The 2026 PBC Baseball Tournament got off to a hot start on Friday, with #1 North Georgia's dominant victory in Dahlonega and #6 Columbus State's upset in Greenwood. The second games of the day at each site proved to be tight contests as #2 Lander inched past #7 GCSU in the ninth inning walk-off victory in Greenwood, while #4 Flagler edged #5 Georgia Southwestern with a ninth inning walkoff of their own in Dahlonega.
#1 NORTH GEORGIA 9-1 #8 MIDDLE GEORGIA
EARLY OFFENSE PROPELS NO.11 NIGHTHAWKS PAST MIDDLE GEORGIA IN OPENING GAME OF PBC TOURNAMENT
DAHLONEGA – A five-run second inning from the No. 11 University of North Georgia (UNG) baseball team set the Nighthawks up for a 9-1 victory over eighth-seeded Middle Georgia in the opening game of the 2026 Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Tournament on Friday afternoon.
Middle Georgia had to work out of some trouble early, as the Nighthawks loaded the bases in the bottom of the first to try and break open the scoreless game. The Knights were able to work out of the jam and set themselves up to take the first lead of the day with a two-out RBI single.
North Georgia again found a way to get traffic on the bases in the second with a pair of walks and a single from Ben Hamacher. Brady Skipper continued to show off UNG's plate discipline, drawing a bases-loaded walk to even things up.
With the bases still juiced, Brody Yeomans woke up the North Georgia bats with a three RBI triple to give his team the lead. Yeomans kept the game rolling by scoring on an error, as the Nighthawks headed into the third with a 5-1 lead.
After Matthew Heard retired the side in the top of the third inning, the Nighthawks got right back to word in the bottom frame. A leadoff triple from Caleb Farr put him 90 feet from scoring, but the Knights put two quick outs on the board to steal some momentum back.
The Nighthawks would not go down without a fight, as Hamacher and Skipper were able to extend the inning with a pair of walks, paving the way for Farr to score on a wild pitch and cushion the North Georgia advantage.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Nighthawks again found some run support with a two-out rally. Hamacher paid off his single by coming around to score on a wild pitch to give UNG a 7-1 lead.
Heard and the Nighthawks continued to keep the Knights out of arms reach. In the top of the seventh with a runner in scoring position and a ground ball to third, JD Coleman came up with a big defensive play to get the lead runner out at home and keep UNG's six-run advantage alive.
That six-run cushion would not last long, as Hunter Thompson lifted a leadoff homer to centerfield to build on the advantage. Kyle Robitzsch tacked on one more with a sacrifice fly to put the Nighthawks up eight.
Ryan Taylor stepped onto the mound in the top of the eighth and maintained UNG's lead the rest of the way, working through just seven Knight batters to close out the game for North Georgia.
Hamacher's big day at the plate helped guide North Georgia to victory, going 3-4 with three runs and a pair of walks.
Heard added his eighth win of the season to an impressive 2026 campaign, going seven innings on the bump while surrendering just one run while recording nine strikeouts.
Luke Davis led the Knights (19-32, 12-18 PBC) with three hits.
The Nighthawks (39-12, 26-4 PBC) advance to the winner's bracket of the PBC Tournament to take on Flagler tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. at Bob Stein Stadium.
#2 LANDER 7-6 #7 GCSU
SALISBURY'S WALK-OFF GIVES LANDER WIN IN PBC TOURNEY OPENER
GREENWOOD - The Lander baseball team erased a 6-0 deficit with seven unanswered runs, capped by a Mason Salisbury walk-off walk in the bottom of the ninth, to defeat Georgia College and State University, 7-6, on Friday evening in the opening round of the Peach Belt Conference Baseball Tournament.
The win extends Lander's season-best winning streak to 10 games. The 32nd victory of the season also makes Nick Popp the winningest first-year head coach in program history, surpassing Bill Jarman's 31-win mark from 2006.
Lander advances to face sixth-seeded Columbus State in the winner's bracket game on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Dolny Stadium. The Cougars defeated third-seeded USC Aiken, 12-7, earlier in the day. Columbus State swept the season series against Lander in March, marking the Bearcats' last series loss of the season.
USC Aiken and Georgia College will meet in an elimination game scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Georgia College struck early as Evan Cowan launched the third pitch of the game over the right-center field wall to give the Bobcats a 1-0 lead. The visitors added another run in the second before a four-run third inning pushed the lead to 6-0.
Lander responded in the bottom of the third as Zach Cowart delivered a two-RBI single. Oliver Zohn followed with a sacrifice fly, and a throwing error on the play allowed Ryan Hansen to score, cutting the deficit to 6-4.
After the early damage, Jake Monroe settled in, retiring 11 consecutive batters and finishing with seven innings pitched while striking out four.
The Bearcats completed the comeback in the seventh as Zohn and Cowart each drove in a run to tie the game at six.
Joshua Sanchez retired the side in order in the eighth and worked around a leadoff single in the ninth. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runner into scoring position, Lander intentionally walked Cowan to set up a double play, which came to fruition as Cooper Backman started a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, Brody Winter drew a one-out walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Zach Cowart was intentionally walked, another wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Riley Hood was then intentionally walked to load the bases, but Salisbury worked a four-pitch walk to force in the winning run.
#6 COLUMBUS STATE 12-7 #3 USCA
COUGARS ROLL OVER USCA TO OPEN PBC TOURNAMENT
GREENWOOD, S.C. – The Columbus State baseball team made a statement on the opening day of play in the 2026 Peach Belt Conference Tournament on Friday, defeating No. 3 seed USC Aiken 12-7 at Dolney Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME ONE)
- Columbus State, seeded sixth in the bracket play format, scored a run in the first inning of action, followed by a three-run second inning to open an early 4-0 lead.
- Seniors Cayden Evans and Bryce Knox as well as junior Jax Yoxtheimer, each had an RBI to contribute to the early advantage.
- In the third, CSU tacked on two more runs with an RBI double from senior Michael Cruz, who later scored from third on a failed throw to second by the USCA catcher attempting to throw out a base runner.
- Yoxtheimer recorded his second RBI of the day, and Evans added two to his total with an RBI single in the fifth to put the Cougars ahead 10-0.
- Columbus State ace Sawyer Wilson was cruising through five innings of play, allowing just two hits to the Pacers before running into trouble in the sixth when a three-run home run cut the CSU lead to 10-3.
- Chizek and Evans each had RBI singles in the seventh inning to move the Cougars ahead 12-3, while USC Aiken added a run of its own in the bottom half of the frame to make the advantage 12-4 with two innings to play.
- The Pacers found life in the ninth inning, scoring three runs on three hits and a pair of free passes, but senior reliever Tucker Starling forced a groundout with a runner on second to move Columbus State forward in postseason play.
NOTES
- Wilson (6-3) got the win after giving up four runs on four hits with two strikeouts in six innings on the mound, while Starling earned his second save of the season with a three-inning appearance out of the bullpen.
- The CSU offense chased USC Aiken ace Joseph Rauscher early, giving him just his second loss of the season.
- Evans finished the game 2-for-5 with four RBI, while Chizek was 3-for-5 with an RBI, two runs scored, a walk, and a stolen base.
- Sophomore Luke Miller was also 3-for-5 with 3-for-5 with a run and a stolen base of his own, as Cruz collected two doubles and two runs scored.
- Yoxtheimer had two RBI, and junior Corey Berry scored three runs and drew two walks in the win.
UP NEXT
Columbus State advances to the winner's bracket, where it will face the winning team of this afternoon's contest between No. 2 seed Lander and No. 7 seed Georgia College at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow.
#4 FLAGLER 2-1 #5 GEORGIA SOUTHWESTERN
FLAGLER EDGES GSW 2-1 ON SULLIVAN'S WALK-OFF DOUBLE IN PBC TOURNAMENT
DAHLONEGA, Ga. - No. 4 Flagler pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday, beating No. 5 Georgia Southwestern 2-1 in the Peach Belt Conference Baseball Tournament at Bob Stein Stadium.
The game stayed tight throughout, with both teams getting strong starts on the mound. Flagler took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Eli Maddox lifted a sacrifice fly to center, bringing home Aj Hunerberg. Georgia Southwestern answered in the top of the fifth. Samuel Hogue reached base and moved up on a passed ball, then scored when Drake Harman lined an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1.
That score held into the ninth as Flagler starter Cj Hanson and Georgia Southwestern’s Evan Koehler matched each other inning for inning. Hanson went the distance for the win, allowing one run on five hits over nine innings with one walk and eight strikeouts. Koehler nearly matched him, working 8 1/3 innings while giving up two runs on six hits, walking one and striking out five.
Flagler finally broke through in its final at-bat. Parker Stallard, running as a pinch-runner, came around to score when Jesse Sullivan doubled to left field, ending the game and sending Flagler to the 2-1 win. Sullivan finished 2 for 4 with the game-winning RBI, while Maddox also drove in a run for Flagler.
Georgia Southwestern finished with five hits and no errors, compared with six hits and one error for Flagler. Harman led Georgia Southwestern at the plate, going 2 for 4 with the Hurricanes’ only RBI. Both teams left five runners on base in a game that was defined more by pitching and a handful of key swings than by sustained offense.
The Saints return to the field tomorrow at 11:00am as they face #1 North Georgia.