THOMASVILLE, Ga. – It was a frigid afternoon at Varendoe Stadium as the Night Hawks battled the weather in their 7-3 loss to USC-Beaufort in the Sun Conference home opener.
 
After a scoreless first inning by both teams, the Sand Sharks opened a 5-0 gap in the top of the second.  Third baseman Michael Johnson led the inning off by reaching on an error by TU's shortstop Jake Desuyo.  Johnson then advanced to second when Kyle Thompson slapped a single up the middle.  Two pitches later, designated hitter Zack Holt crushed a three-run shot out of the park to give USCB the 3-0 lead.  Later in the inning, the Sand Sharks would plate two more runs on a double by John Cloyd and a single by Zack Saldivar, taking the 5-0 lead.
 
The Night Hawks cut USCB's lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the third when Corey Conway lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Brandon Singer.  Previously, Singer reached on a walk then advanced to third on a fielder's choice.  Three innings later, Thomas would edge closer to the Sand Sharks when third baseman Leo Benjamin smashed a two-run homer over the left field fence.  This hit would be Thomas' last offensive surge that produced runs in the game.
 
The Sand Sharks would go on to plate two insurances runs in the top of the 8th en route to their 7-3 victory.
 
TU's starter Monte Reese (2-2) suffered the loss while Junior Delatorre picked up the win for USCB.  Blake Drew was credited with the save.
 
"We're just above .500 right now," stated head coach Mike Lee. "We need to improve on today's errors and focus more at the plate.  Small mistakes are hurting us in big ways right now."
 
Thomas drops to 9-8, 3-6 TSC, while USC-Beaufort improves to 17-4, 7-3 TSC, on the year.
 
The Night Hawks return to action on Sat., March 7, when they wrap up their weekend series against USC-Beaufort in double-header action.  First pitch is scheduled for noon with the second game beginning 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.
 
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.