MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The University of West Georgia baseball team fell in an 8-6 non-conference contest to Georgia College on Tuesday evening at John Kurtz Field in the second meeting over the past week between the Peach Belt adversaries.

After the Wolves (10-14, 9-12 Gulf South Conference) prevailed in a 13-7 decision last week at Cole Field, the Bobcats (12-9, 10-8 Peach Belt Conference) were able to even the season series on their home field behind a walk-off, two-run homer by designated hitter Matt White in the bottom of the ninth.

West Georgia trailed by a 6-1 margin through seven innings, but rallied with a five-run eighth to pull even.

UWG head coach Jeff Smith was pleased to see the fight in his ballclub after the bats went cold during the early innings.

"We competed very well today by battling back. I thought, for the most part, we pitched well," Smith said. "We were able to get everybody some work and get them ready for the weekend. We left some guys out there at times on the bases that cost us some runs."

In the eighth, UWG senior left fielder Dan Oberst started the rally with a solo home run, his 10^th of the season, which was followed by back-to-back walks to sophomore shortstop Brody Wortham and junior third baseman Collin Moore. Freshman catcher Jackson Webb was hit by a pitch to load the bases, setting the stage for a two-run single by senior designated hitter Lane Griffith to pull within 6-4.

Following a sacrifice bunt by sophomore right fielder John Michael McRae and a strikeout, sophomore first baseman Joe Skinner drew a two-out walk to load the bases again and freshman second baseman Griffin Bennink delivered a clutch, two-run single to tie the game at 6-6.

The big inning came after the Wolves connected on just four hits through the first seven innings, scoring their first run on an RBI single by junior center fielder Ethan Brant in the second to tie the game at 1-1.

The Bobcats plated four runs on four hits and an error in the bottom of the fourth to take a 5-1 lead and tacked on a run in the seventh before the Wolves staged their eighth-inning rally.

Bennink (2-for-4, 2 RBI) had the lone multiple-hit effort for UWG, as Oberst, Webb, Griffith, Brant and Skinner accounted for the other five hits.

It was a staff effort for West Georgia on the mound, with senior Sawyer Steele getting the start and working two innings, followed by freshman Brady Simpson, freshman Andrew Smith, sophomore Ezra Brown, freshman Jack Rasmussen and sophomore Troy Shepherd.

The Wolves return to GSC play on Friday with a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Mississippi College (8-13, 5-11), followed by a 2 p.m. single game against the Choctaws on Saturday at Frierson Field in Clinton, Mississippi.

"Mississippi College is on a three-game winning streak. They're probably feeling pretty good. We have to get back to work tomorrow and get ourselves ready for what I expect to be a tough series," Smith said.