MONTEVALLO, Ala. – University of Montevallo junior Vinny Rodriguez homered for the sixth time this season and sophomore Cody Hughes allowed just one run on two hits through seven innings on the mound to lift the Falcons to a 7-1 win over visiting University of North Georgia in the opener of a three-game Peach Belt Conference series April 18 at Kermit A. Johnson Field.

The Falcons (25-17 overall, 11-13 in Peach Belt Conference) will look to clinch the series with a win in the second game of the series Saturday, April 19. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.

Rodriguez went 2-for-4 at the plate with a home run and a double as he paced the Falcons offensively. Rodriguez drove in three runs and scored one run in the victory.

Freshman Scotty Smith finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a triple, his second of the season. Smith drove in one run and scored one run.

Freshman Dane Hutcheon went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and drove in one run. Senior Will Fulmer, who drove in one run and scored one run, finished 1-for-3 at the plate. Senior Jackson Slaid went 1-for-3 at the plate with a double and scored one run.

Sophomore Jeremy Hyde, who drove in one run and scored one run, finished 1-for-2 at the plate with his first double of the year. Sophomore Chase Bryant went 1-for-4 at the plate and scored one run.

Hughes (3-4) allowed just one earned run on two hits in seven innings of action on the mound. The right-handed pitcher from Phenix City, Ala. struck out eight and walked five.

Junior reliever Jeremy Bagnall allowed one hit with one strikeout and one walk in 2/3 of an inning in relief before sophomore Taylor Burr pitched the final 1 1/3 innings and recorded two strikeouts.

The Falcons took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Smith led off the frame with a single up the middle and Fulmer was hit by a pitch before both runners came around to score on a bases-clearing double to left-center field by Rodriguez.

Montevallo extended its lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Hyde led off the frame with a walk, advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Hutcheon and moved to third base on a groundout by Bryant before scoring on a RBI single to right field by Smith.

The Falcons plated two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, which gave Montevallo a 5-0 advantage. Rodriguez homered to right field and Slaid followed up the solo blast with a double to right-center field before scoring on a RBI double to right-center field by Hyde.

Montevallo extended its lead to 7-0 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Hutcheon led off the frame with a single through the right side of the infield and advanced to third base on a single to left-center field by Bryant before scoring on an error by the Nighthawks when Bryant successfully stole second base. Bryant came around to score later in the inning on a RBI single down the right-field line by Fulmer.

North Georgia scored its lone run in the game in the top of the eighth inning to trim the deficit to 7-1. Travis Naraine led off the inning with a single through the right side of the infield, advanced to second base on a single through the left side of the infield by Eason Spivey and moved to third base when Ryan Raper reached on a walk before scoring on a RBI sacrifice fly to right field by Andrew Gordon.