DAHLONEGA, Ga. - The #13 Hawks kicked off the 2024 campaign with another trip to the south, trading in the beaches of Florida from a year ago for the north of Georgia and a match-up with a hot 5-1 North Georgia Nighthawk squad. The Hawks bats couldn't get hardly anything going in a 2-1 defeat on a walk-off home run from UNG. 

Griffin Kirn got the call for the first time as the series opener following the likes of former teammates Spencer Walker and now professional, Riley Martin, to toe the rubber on Fridays for the Hawks and delivered just as he did in his old role last season.

The lefty served up seven innings of one-run ball while spreading seven hits, also adding four punch-outs in his first showing of the season. 

The lone blemish on Kirn's performance was a single run in the bottom of the second as UNG pounced on him for three two-out singles and a run before an advancing runner on the play was cut down on a throw from home to third to end the inning. 

QU got the run back the very next half inning, using a one-out walk from Adam Lewis along with a grounder to the right side to advance Lewis from Jake Vitale to set up an RBI single to left from Joe Huffman, one of his two hits on the day and the Hawks lone run in the contest. 

It was a pitchers battle from there on out as both sides threatened, especially Quincy leaving 10 men on base in the contest, but neither team could find the scoring column until the last half inning of the contest. 

The first batter in the Nighthawk half of the ninth took one for a ride over the left field fence to send the fans home happy and deal #13 Quincy its first loss of the season in gut-wrenching fashion. 

The Hawks will be back at it against North Georgia tomorrow afternoon (Feb. 17) for a 12:00 PM contest with Kade Ruffner taking the hill for Quincy.