DAHLONEGA, Georgia – The 16^th-ranked Lee baseball team opened the 2022 season with an impressive 5-4 victory over host University of North Georgia at the cool and windy Bob Stein Stadium on Friday afternoon. The three-game series will continue on Saturday at 1 p.m. 

The Flames jumped out to a 4-1 lead after six innings and then held on as the Nighthawks staged rallies in the seventh and ninth innings. The North Georgia squad had the tying and winning run on base in the bottom of the ninth when Lee first baseman Jared Demkowicz knocked down a ground-ball between first and second and was able to roll the baseball to pitcher Hunter Lane who was covering for the final out of the game. 

Lee used four hurlers in the contest. Miguel Alva started and worked the first four innings. He allowed just one hit, no earned runs, struck out six and walked three. Sean Casteel followed for the next three innings and picked up the pitching win. He surrendered two hits, two earned runs, walked three and fanned two. Brycen Jewell came on to work the eighth and gave up two hits, an earned run, struck out three and issued one free pass. Lane got credit for the save. In his ninth inning of work, he allowed a hit and recorded a strikeout. All totaled, Lee pitchers fanned 12 Nighthawks and walked seven. 

North Georgia scored in the first inning and did not score another run until the seventh. The Flames tied the contest in the top of the second. Brandon Daniels singled, advanced to second on a throwing error and scored on a one-base knock by Joshua Perez. 

Lee jumped on top 2-1 in the fourth. With two outs, Nate Bynum reached on an infield hit and Thomas Zazzaro followed with a one-base knock. Justen Freeman picked up a RBI with a single to right. Two more runs went up on the board in the sixth. Demkowicz walked and Bynum was hit by a pitch. Zazzaro walked to load the bases. Freeman came up with his second big hit of the day with a one-base hit that plated Demkowicz. Dylan Standifer picked up a RBI when he flied out to left scoring Zazzaro. 

The Flames put their final run on the board in the top of the eighth after North Georgia had sliced the lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning. With one out, Zazzaro walked, stole second and tallied the big run on a bloop single by Standifer to short center. 

Things really got interesting in the bottom of the ninth when the Nighthawks put the first two hitters on base. Lee head coach Mark Brew called on Lane to relieve Jewell. The closer got a huge out when he sent All-American Nik Levensteins down swinging. The next hitter lined out before the exciting final ground out was recorded. 

Lee made the best of 10 hits. Standifer led the way with three hits and a pair of RBI. Freeman followed with a pair of hits and also had two RBI. Perez had the other Lee RBI with a hit while Zazzaro, Daniels and Demkowicz had a hit and scored a run. Bynum rounded out the 10-hit attack with a hit and two runs scored.  

Kaleb Freeman had a double and a single for the Nighthawks. Jake Arnold ripped a two-run homer and also singled in the North Georgia six-hit attack. Cade Heil was the starting and losing Nighthawks pitcher. He worked 5.1 innings and surrendered eights and four earned runs. Three other hurlers followed Heil to the mound.