LAKELAND, Fla. – The 16th ranked Thomas University softball team is now on a four game skid after being swept by (RV) Southeastern University this afternoon in doubleheader action.  The Fire took game one 9-3 and completed the sweep with a 6-3 victory in game two.
 
The first game of the series seemed to be in Thomas' hands in the early going when they rallied to take the 3-2 lead over Southeastern in the top of sixth.  Previously, the Fire had plated two runs in earlier action.  Left fielder Chandler Seay started the inning off reaching on a misplayed grounder to SEU's Brandee Pietrzark.  Catcher Michael Cooper would put runners on first and second reaching on a six-pitch walk.  On a 0-2 pitch, third baseman Rachel Hoeft crushed a rise ball over the center field fence for a three-run homer, giving the Lady Night Hawks their only lead of the contest.
 
After TU's starter, Katie Lopes, was lifted in the bottom of the fifth with runners on first and second, the Fire took advantage of reliever Ashley Chapman's location misses and three Lady Night Hawk fielding errors to score seven runs to take the 9-3 lead.  The same score would turn out to be the winning tally after Thomas was set down in order in the top of the seventh.
 
Lopes received the loss in game one while SEU's Cat Maldondo was credited with the win.  Lopes gave up three runs, two earned, on six hits while striking out only one of the 22 batters she faced.
 
The Lady Night Hawks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning of game two, but the lead was short lived as the Fire would go on to plate three runs in the bottom frame to take the 3-2 advantage.  Southeastern would score another run in the bottom of the second to extend their lead to 4-2 before the Thomas pushed their third run of the game across the plate in the top of the third.  Hoeft led the charge again for TU reaching on Pietrzak's second error of the day.  First baseman Carmen Nadal put runners on first and second with one out when she lined a single through the middle.  Designated hitter Kelsey Connolly would load the bases with a single to shallow right.  Starting pitcher Ashley Sikes helped her own cause lifting a line-drive single to center to score Hoeft from third, cutting the gap to 4-3. 
 
While the Lady Night Hawks continued to put runners on base, their ultimate demise came by leaving them stranded on the base pads.  Southeastern would go on to score two more runs in the bottom of the sixth en route to their 6-3 victory.  Sikes fielded the loss while SEU's Maldonado picked up her second win of the day.
 
Thomas drops to 28-11, 6-4 TSC, on the year while Southeastern improves to 33-10, 9-1 TSC.

The Lady Night Hawks return to action on Sat., April 18, when they travel to Lake Wales, Fla., to compete against Sun Conference rival Webber International in doubleheader action.  The games, previously scheduled for Sunday, April 19 in Thomasville, have been moved due to inclement weather.  First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. with game two beginning 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
 
A complete gallery from today's games can be accessed by clicking here.
 
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 softball team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawksSoftb.