GREENSBORO, N.C. - Five home runs and some top-class pitching performances helped UNCG baseball sweep a Friday doubleheader on Friday, clinching this weekend's series against The Citadel in UNCG Baseball Stadium. The Spartans used four long balls in game one, two of which came off the bat of Josh Madole, to take a 9-7 win, while the combination of Brendan Collins and Austin Parsley shutdown the Bulldogs' offnes in a 4-2 game two victory. Left fielder Greg Hardison finished the day with four knocks while coming a triple shy of the cycle during Friday's first contest, delivering the game-winning knock in game two as well. 

While starting right hander Austin Koehn wasn't perfect through the early innings of game one he did spray three Bulldogs hits across his first three frames. Working around a pair of one-out knocks in the first and second innings, Koehn faced the minimum in the third thanks to a pair of strikeouts and a pick-off at first, going on to hold The Citadel without a base runner in the fourth and fifth. 

With Koehn taking care of business on the bump, the opportunity to take an early lead presented itself for the Spartans in the second. After getting the first out of the frame, Bulldogs starter Cameron Reeves missed his spot on an 0-2 count to Madole that was sent over the right field wall.

The Spartans doubled their lead in third after Hardison traded places with Daniel Cerda on a two-bagger to left, but it was during the fifth that UNCG's offense would open things up.

After watching Corey Rosier reach first on a hit by pitch, Hardison grabbed his second and third RBI of the day on a home run to right. His long ball was just one of three that the Spartans accrued over the home half of the inning however, with Hogan Windish and Madole providing back-to-back jacks just two ABs later. 

The Spartans added two more in the sixth to increase their lead to 8-0. Robbie O'Neal led off the frame with a walk, before Rosier's second HBP and a Hardison bunt single loaded the bases. Hogan Windish came through with the two-RBI single, which proved to be the game deciding hit as The Citadel mounted a late come back.

The Citadel hung four runs of their own in the seventh, but O'Neal added an insurance run shortly after the stretch as the visitors added three more before the end of the game. Time would run out on the Bulldogs as the final went 9-7 in favor of UNCG however, with Koehn earning the win for his seven-inning, five-strikeout performance.

The Spartans mounted another early lead in game two, thanks in part to some more impressive starting pitching. Righty Brendan Collins allowed just a single hit during his 5.1 inning start, a single in the first. After allowing a pair of walks in the third, Collins retired seven straight base runners to get to the sixth with a shutout still intact.

On the offensive side, Rosier led off the bottom half of the first with a single, before stealing second to give the Spartans their first runner in scoring position. A pair of groundouts brought home the outfielder, with Pres Cavenaugh providing the RBI-out to take a single-run lead.

Rosier's day at the plate wasn't done as the redshirt-sophomore doubled his team's lead on a solo shot in the third. His long ball to right field put the leadoff man in a tie with Hogan Windish for a team-high of nine on the year, while tallying the Spartans' fifth homer of the day.

The Citadel finally get to Collins in the sixth, tying things up with a pair of runs.

Fellow right hander Austin Parsley took over for the final two outs of the sixth, going on to retire 11 straight batters and neglecting to allow a single baserunner through the final 3.2 innings. Parsley struck out four Bulldog batters to combine with Collins for a total of 10 in the game, earning the win after seeing his teammates retake the lead in the seventh.

Hardison's hit in that inning was his fourth of the afternoon and proved to be his most important of the day. 

Sam Koruschak started things off with a leadoff single, followed by a four-pitch walk from Dallas Callahan. Making the first plate appearance of his Spartan career, Parsley moved the runners over on a sac bunt before Hardison's single through the left side plated the deciding runs in a 4-2 final in game two to complete the day's sweep of the Bulldogs.

>>> Greg Hardison finished the Friday doubleheader 4-of-8 at the plate, just three days removed from a three-hit day against North Carolina A&T on Tuesday. He is currently on a three-game hitting streak, going 7-for-12 (.583) with six RBI a double, a triple and a home run
>>> Rosier is on a three-game hitting streak himself, extending his on-base streak to 11 games with his three hits against The Citadel. In addition to his three hits, Rosier reached first on a hit by pitch, a walk and an intentional walk. He's crossed home plate seven times during his current hitting streak, including four times on Friday
>>> The Spartans' four home runs in game one are the most they've had in a single game since tallying the same number against VMI back on May 12, 2019 

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