WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Thomas University baseball team will face back-to-back top five teams in the Sun Conference Baseball Tournament after falling to No. 3 St. Thomas, 11-3, Friday at the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. 

The Night Hawks will next play No. 4 Southeastern at 11 a.m. on Saturday. 

On Friday, Thomas scored first with one run in the second, but St. Thomas answered with five over the next three innings to take the 5-1 lead. TU scored a pair in the bottom of the fifth, but STU plated six more over the final four frames to win, 11-3. 

Starting pitcher Dillon Rutland took the loss, allowing five earned runs, seven total, from eight hits in 5.1 innings. Justin Young came in for relief, allowing just one hit, but two earned runs and walking five in 1.1 innings, then Logan Hollyman came in to close, giving up four hits and two earned runs in 2.1 innings.

Offensively, Gavin Murphy was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Landon Boyette recorded the other RBI for TU. 

In the second, Wyatt Petrey drew a one-out walk then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Landon Boyette sent an RBI single to center field to plate Thomas' first run. 

STU scored two in the third, one in the fourth and a pair in the fifth before Thomas scored two in the fifth. 

With one out in the fifth, Logan Place and Keefer Beaty drew consecutive walks. A double steal led to a throwing error by the STU catcher, allowing Place to score. Then Murphy drove in Beaty with a single to right field. 

St. Thomas scored two in each of the sixth, seventh and ninth innings to win, 11-3.