Box Score
Thomas University (13-22) squandered scoring chances against #16 Middle Georgia State, and it came back to haunt them in a 6-4 loss on Tuesday afternoon at Varnedoe Stadium. The loss runs the current losing streak for the Night Hawks to 5 games.

The Knights opened the scoring in the top of the first inning, using 3 walks and 1 hit off of TU starter Tate Lambert to take a 2-0 lead after a half inning. The NIght Hawks answered in the bottom of the first, when JR Cruess led off with a walk. Courtesy runner Austin Simmons was forced out at 2nd by a Jalbert Melo grounder, but Melo would later score on a Matthew Brady double in the left center gap to cut the deficit in half.

Lambert would settle down and retire 6 of the next 7 Knights, but the Night Hawks could not muster any offense of their own. In the 4th, MGSC would threaten, but a tag play at the plate and an inning-ending double play would squelch the threat. TU would capitalize on the momentum, as Tanner Long scored on a Blake Summers 2-out single to knot the game at 2 apiece.

Jordan Martin would come in relief of Lambert, and give up the go-ahead run on a single and a double, to give the Knights a 3-2 lead. TU would answer in the bottom of the inning, when Reed Melcolm singled home Tanner Elsbernd to tie the game, but the inning ended when Gavin Murphy was thrown out at 3rd.

Both teams would have opportunities over the next 3 innings, but neither could score until MGSC would take the lead on reliever Nick Riley, using a 2-out error to take a 4-3 advantage in the top of the ninth. Cruess would lead off the bottom of the 9th with a single, and would score on Brady's second double of the day to knot the game at 4. Brady would be stranded at 3rd with a Murphy fly ball to left to end the inning.

In the 10th, TU would load the bases with a single from Melcolm, and a walk and hit by pitch with two outs, but a Melo flyout to right would end the inning. The Night Hawks would again load the bases in the bottom half of the 11th, but Long grounded into a double play to end the threat.

In the 12th, reliever Jacob Moye would surrender 2 runs on homerun and 2 singles and a hit batter to provide the final margin. Moye takes the loss, and Brady finished with 2 doubles and 2 RBI.

Thomas takes a break for the rest of the week, and will return to action next Tuesday afternoon when they travel to Americus to take on Georgia Southwestern. First Pitch is scheduled for 5pm. For up-to-date information on this game 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.