MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Thomas University baseball team opened Sun Conference play this afternoon against St. Thomas University at Paul Mainieri Field in south Florida.  Thomas split the series opener winning game one 6-5 and dropping game two 20-2.
 
In game one of the double header, the Night Hawks struggled to connect with ball.  TU's only hit of the game until the top of the fifth inning came in the team's first at bat when shortstop Jake Desuyo singled up the middle.  Conversely, St. Thomas landed on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the third when Oscar Rodriguez scored on a double steal. 
 
The Bobcats would plate two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the 3-0 lead.  STU's Paul Chacin would start the inning off reaching on a six pitch walk.  Next, David Quintero would enter the game as a pinch runner and would later move up 90 feet on a passed ball.  TU's starter, Neal Hunter, would walk the next two Bobcat batters he faced to load the bases.  With just two outs in the inning, second baseman Michael Centeno singled to score Quintero and Cesar Ramirez before being thrown out by Thomas' catcher Kaleb Holbrook when he tried to advance to second on the throw home.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, the Bobcats would score what they thought were two more insurance runs.  However, this was not the case.  After a scoreless sixth, the Night Hawks' bats came alive.  The visitors landed five consecutive hits that, overtime, would tie the game at 5-5.  Jeremy Crosby got the ball rolling for the Night Hawks when he singled up the middle.  Soon after, Leo Benjamin and Brent Slaughter would also single to load the bases.  Right fielder Alan Baker started the scoring run when he lifted a one-out double to the wall to score Crosby and Benjamin. 
 
To halt TU's comeback, St. Thomas' Marcos Barrios was relieved by Alex Vierra.  The pitching change did not faze the Night Hawks' momentum.  Center fielder Brandon Singer continued the hitting barrage with a single to right field scoring Slaughter from third.  Singer would then advance to third on consecutive wild pitches, one of which scored Baker to cut the Bobcats' lead to 5-4. Designated hitter Corey Conway then stepped in to tie the game at 5-5 with a one-out double.  The rally continued for the Night Hawks two batters later when Jalbert Melo delivered the eventual game winning hit to center, scoring Conway for the go ahead run and 6-5 lead.
 
Tate Lambert, who came on in relief during the fifth inning, finished out the game with three shutout innings of work to pick up his first win of the 2015 season.  Lambert (1-2) recorded six strikeouts against the 13 batters he faced, surrendering no hits or walks in his 4.1 innings of work.
 
The night cap was not as successful for the Night Hawks.  The team struggled to connect with the ball on offense and had three costly errors on defense.  While Thomas was down 9-0 heading into the top of the fifth, the team would eventually score two runs, one in the fifth and the other in the sixth, to avoid being shut out.  The Bobcats would go on to score eight runs in the fifth and three runs in the sixth to close out the 20-2 loss for the Night Hawks.  Thomas' losing pitcher Ben Overman surrendered eight earned runs, 14 hits, and three walks in game while striking out just two of the 31 batters he faced.  STU's Alex Perez picked up the win allowing one earned run on three hits in his five innings of work.
 
"We've still got a real chance of winning this series," declared head coach Mike Lee. "We just need to start putting the bat on the ball and execute when the opportunity arises."  
 
Thomas now sits with a 7-3, 1-1 TSC, record after its first 10 games.  This record matches the same start to the 2014 season that ended with a 28-19 finish.

The Night Hawks return to action on Saturday, Feb. 14 when they wrap up their opening series of Sun Conference play on the road against St. Thomas University.  First pitch is now set for at 1 p.m.  Previously, the game was scheduled for a noon start.
 
For up-to-date information on these games and other TU Athletics, visit www.TUNightHawks.com.  Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, and feature stories of your TU baseball team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawkBaseba.