Box Score AMERICUS, Ga. – The Hawks forced a rubber match against Georgia Southwestern State University after a nail-biting 5-4 victory over the Hurricanes on Friday night (Feb. 21) to even the series at a game apiece. 
 
Ben Dahlof wasted no time getting the Hawks offense started, as he took the first pitch of the game to right field for a base hit. Dahlof quickly found himself in scoring position with his second stolen base of the season. A two-out single through the 5-6 hole from Joe Huffman brought in the first run of the game and gave Quincy an early 1-0 lead.
 
Kobe Essien earned the start for the Hawks, his third of the season. Essien set down the Hurricanes in order in the home half of the first but found himself in a bases-loaded jam with nobody out in the second inning after a pair of hits and a walk. Quincy kept its 1-0 lead after Essien struck a man out and followed that up with a 6-3 double play to keep GSW off the board.
 
In the top of the third, the first two men for the Hawks were retired after a pair of flyouts. The inning continued after a line drive single up the middle from David Broughton. Quincy continued to be aggressive on the bases with a lefty on the mound as Broughton made his way into scoring position with his fourth stolen base of the season. Huffman smoked a line drive into the right-center gap for his second two-out RBI hit of the night to make it 2-0 Hawks.
 
Essien found himself in another jam in the bottom of the fourth, with runners at second and third and two outs. A long battle between Essien and the Hurricanes designated hitter ran the count full, and on the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Essien blew a fastball right by to keep a 2-0 lead in favor of the Hawks.
 
Dahlof reached base for the second time after being hit by a pitch to begin the fifth inning. Matt Mateo followed him up with a groundball that had eyes through the 3-4 hole to set up runners at first and second and nobody out. A strikeout earned GSW the first out of the inning, but the Hawks took advantage of a few mistakes from the Hurricanes. A wild pitch moved the two runners over with Huffman at the plate, who sent a mile-high pop-up down the right field line that the right fielder overran, allowing a run to score. Isaiah Fudge tapped a grounder to the second baseman for his third RBI of the season, making it 4-0 Hawks halfway through the ballgame.
 
Essien's day came to an end after walking two batters in the bottom of the fifth. Roman Harrison was the first man out of the bullpen for the Hawks, looking to escape another GSW threat, but the Hurricanes second baseman had other plans, depositing a fastball over the left field fence to cut the lead down to one and officially close the book on Essien's start.
 
Quincy immediately responded on the offensive end in the sixth inning. After the Hurricanes bullpen walked a pair of batters, the Hawks played small ball, as Dahlof drove in a run with a safety squeeze to bring the lead back to two.
 
Georgia Southwestern, once again posed a threat in their half of the sixth, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate and runners at the corners with nobody out. Harrison, out for his second inning of work, struck out the Hurricanes third baseman for out number one, and the Hawks turned their second inning-ending double play of the game, keeping the game halted at 5-3 heading to the back third.
 
The Hawks found themselves in a bind once again, loading the bases with one out. Quincy was unable to work out unscathed after a groundout to Fudge at second base, brought in the fourth run of the game for GSW. David Kelliher was called upon to get the final out of the seventh inning, looking to hold a one-run lead. Kelliher walked the first man he saw to load the bases and went to a 3-1 count to the next man, but he was able to get a rollover to second base to limit the damage and keep the lead for the Hawks.
 
After the Hawks went down in order in the eighth, Kelliher trotted out for another inning of work and a one-run lead. The sidewinder earned out number one via strikeout but then walked the following two batters. Quincy left Kelliher in for one more batter, and he got the Hurricanes two-hole hitter to fly out to right field. Head Coach, Matt Schissel turned to his bullpen once again with two outs and runners at first and second. It was Adyn Collins making his third appearance of the season. A wild pitch out of the hand of Collins moved the runners up to second and third. Falling behind in the count 3-1, Collins challenged the GSW batter with a fastball on the inner half and got him to roll over to second base for the third out of the inning.
 
The Hawks failed to add insurance in the top of the ninth, which left it at a 5-4 game heading to the bottom of the ninth, three outs away from a victory. Collins earned out number one, freezing the Hurricanes four hitter on a fastball. A few pitches later, the tying run reached first after an infield single to first base. A walk and a wild pitch put the tying run at third base and the winning run at second base for GSW, with only one out. The second walk of the inning for Collins loaded the bases and ended his outing, as the Hawks skipper went to Logan Mueller with the bases loaded and one out.
 
Mueller made quick work of the first batter he saw with a strikeout on three pitches to put the Hawks one out away from a victory. Mueller found himself down in the count 1-0, but the GSW left fielder got under a fastball and popped out to second base for the final out of the ballgame.

 
Quincy will be back in action tomorrow for game three against the Hurricanes as they look to take the series starting at with a 1:00 PM EST first pitch.