Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 The visiting Royals of Warner University swept Thomas University on a cool Friday afternoon at Varnedoe Stadium. WU (11-5, 4-1) won the first game of the The Sun Conference series 8-7, and finished the nightcap 10-6.
Warner started the scoring in the top of the first in game one, scoring 2 runs on 2 hits, 2 walks, and an error off of Night Hawks (6-11, 1-7) starter
Neal Hunter. TU would strike back in the bottom of the inning with 3 of their own.
JR Cruess would work a leadoff walk, and courtesy runner
Austin Simmons would steal second. With one out,
Tanner Long doubled down the first base line to score Simmons, and
Gant Highsmith would follow with his 2nd homerun of the season to give the Night Hawks the 3-2 lead after 1 inning.
TU would extend their lead in the 4th as
Dillon True led off with a single, and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Cruess would garner his 2nd hit of the day leaving runners at 1st and 3rd with no outs.
Jalbert Melo would reach base on an error, scoring True for the 4th run of the day. On a 3-2 pitch with the runners moving, Long would line out to center to start an 8-6-3 triple play to end the threat.
The Royals would get a leadoff homer in the 5th to close the gap to 1 run, 4-3. In the sixth inning, Hunter was replaced by
David Wood, who would get 2 quick outs, but Warner would then knock six straight singles, scoring 4 runs and taking a 7-3 lead. The Royals would add another run in the 7th before
Kris Lee would get the TU out of the inning down 8-3.
Following a rocky top of the eighth where Lee would load the bases on a single and two walks, but then get a 1-2-3 double play and a line out to short, the Night Hawks would mount a rally. With 1 out in the bottom of the inning, pinch hitter Brooks TImmons blasted his first homer as a Night Hawk over the left field wall. With two outs, Cruess would single again, and Melo would follow with his first homer of the year to close the gap to 8-7.
In the ninth, TU would threaten again with a 2 out walk from pinch hitter
Colin Kirkland and a single from
Yovanny Peguero to put runners at 1st and 2nd, before
Blake Summers would pop out to end the game.Wood (1.1 IP, 9 hits, 5 ER would take the loss on the mound. Cruess, Highsmith, and Peguero would each tally 2 hits, and Melo would garner 3 RBI for the Night Hawks.
Game two would see the Night Hawks take a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning on a
Gavin Murphy'double and Peguero reaching on an error.
Matthew Brady would single to drive home Murphy, and after a fielder's choice, would score on True's single to give TU the lead.
Starter
Tate Lambert would cruise through the first 3 innings, facing the minimum, but would give up an unearned run in the 4th. Another big inning from the Royals in the 5th would hurt the Night Hawks, as Lambert exited the game after giving up 2 more runs, and leaving 2 runners on base for
Joshua Roye. The first Royals hitter tripled and later scored, to give WU the 6-3 lead. Thomas would answer in the bottom half as
Timmy Roszell lead off with a walk, and advance to second, then third, on wild pitches. A 2 out single from Melo would bring the Night Hawks within 2, at 6-4.
In the 6th, Wu would add two more in the top if the inning on 3 hits, a walk, and a sacrifice fly. TU would answer again with one of their own in the bottom half of the inning. A single and walk, and then a 1 out single by Brady would score Highsmith and leave runners at 1st and 2nd withojne out. Roszell and True would strike out to end the threat.
In the 7th,
Tyler Leach would take the mound, and be the victim of some tough luck. A leadoff bloop hit to center turned into a double when the fielders lost the ball in the twilight. A passed ball and a wild pitch would score the run, and a 2 out error would score another to run the lead to 10-4 for the Royals.
TU would add a run on Peguero's first homer of the year in the 8th, and would score another in the ninth on a
Jeremy Crosby bases-loaded single. The Night Hawks would have the tying run at the plate, but a stikeout would end the game. Lambert ( 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) would take the loss. Melo would finish 3-4, and Brady would add 2 RBI in the loss.
The two teams finish the 3 game set on Saturday at Varnedoe Stadium, with the first pitch scheduled for 12pm.
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.,
