CARTERSVILLE, Ga. – One of the best wins in program history! Freshman left-handed pitcher Connor Hayden had one of the nation's best offenses off balance throughout and the Monarch bats did the rest as Macomb Baseball picked up a 4-1 program-defining win over NJCAA Division I No. 6 Georgia Highlands College on Sunday (Feb. 23).
 
The 4-1 decision marked the first time Georgia Highlands had lost to a NJCAA Division II program since Feb. 25, 2021.
 
Hayden tossed five scoreless innings and scattered three hits while striking out six to earn the win in his impressive collegiate debut. The freshman southpaw worked out of bases loaded jams in the first two innings, setting the tone for a gritty team win.

Jack Saputo came on in the sixth inning and recorded an efficient five-out save, his first save of the season and fifth overall in a Monarch uniform.
 
Luke Babcock got the scoring started in the top of the third with a solo shot over the right field wall that gave the Monarchs a 1-0 lead. The home run was the second of Babcock's Macomb career. Three batters later, Nicholas Sandiha Jr. connected on an RBI double to left field to give the Monarchs a 2-0 edge through three innings of play.
 
The RBI double would stand as the game-winning hit in the 4-1 victory.
 
Holding on to a 2-0 lead in the fifth, Nathan Fidelino gave the Monarchs all the insurance they needed with a two-run home run to left field. The home run, Fidelino's first at the collegiate level, gave the Monarchs a 4-0 advantage in the latter stages of the contest.

The sixth-ranked Chargers didn't go quietly as the hosts brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the sixth inning before Saputo came on to shut the door and secure the win.
 
While Babcock and Fidelino cleared the wall, several other Monarchs provided pop at the plate as Sandiha, Adrian Epps and Matt Hanneman all doubled in the opener. Epps tied for the team-high in hits with two, equaling Babcock and Sandiha.
 
In the weekend finale, the Monarch bats couldn't get going in a 6-2 setback to NJCAA Division I No. 15 Wabash Valley. The Monarchs had three hits in the weekend's final contest, including a double each by Fidelino and Riley Ames.
 
The Monarchs return to action next weekend (March 1 & 2) in the greater Cleveland area against a NJCAA Region 12 postseason qualifier from a season ago, Cuyahoga Community College.