Box Score

DAHLONEGA, GA - The 24th-ranked North Georgia baseball team opened the season on a high note on Saturday evening, using solid pitching and timely hitting to come away with an 11-3 victory over visiting Pfeiffer University at Bob Stein Stadium in non-conference action.

The Saints jumped all over the Falcons in the early going, posting three spots in the first two innings to take a 6-0 lead. Brad Hall started the scoring in the first inning as the junior belted his 19th career home run, a two run blast to put North Georgia on the board.

In the second inning, Andre Airich delivered a two-run double to make it 5-0, before Anders Oster grounded out to bring Erisman around and cap the three-run second frame.

The North Georgia bats stayed quiet until the seventh inning when Chad Sage provided an RBI double to right field, scoring Oster to make it a 7-0 lead. Kenny Bellevance would come through later in the inning with a two-out single, giving the Saints a commanding 9-0 advantage.

Denver Stovall capped the Saints day at the plate in the eighth inning with a single to plate two more runs and make it 11-0. Pfeiffer came out in the ninth and pushed across three runs as North Georgia completed a commanding 11-3 opening day win.

Chris Rearick (1-0) was the story of the day on the mound for the Saints, lasting eight innings and giving up just four hits while striking out seven for his first win in a North Georgia uniform. Nick Fogleman (0-1) came up short for Pfeiffer, allowing six runs, five earned, in five innings of work.

North Georgia returns to action on Sunday afternoon, closing out a three-game series with Pfeiffer University with a doubleheader scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m. The game can be heard at www.SaintsSports.com with Rusty Brown and David Beall providing the play-by-play. Fans can also follow live stats of the event at the home of the Saints.