MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Thomas University baseball team struggled to tame the Lions, as the Night Hawks fell in both contests to Florida Memorial Friday at Harry T. Moore Baseball Field.
 
Game One (FMU 14, TU 12)
Once again, a rough start would cost Thomas (15-20, 0-11 SUN) the game, as the Green & White could not complete a ferocious ninth-inning comeback that almost saw Florida Memorial (16-15, 6-8 SUN) fall into an epic collapse of proportions.
 
Freshman Right-Hander Clay Oates did most of the pitching, throwing four and one-third innings and allowing one earned run off seven hits while striking out four.  Freshman Matthew Delay Jr. and Redshirt Senior Brad Toxen both went 2-for-4 at the plate and recorded two RBIs apiece.
 
Through three innings, FMU pounced on TU to build an 11-1 lead, highlighted by a nine-run second inning.
 
Toxen would begin Thomas' long trek with a hit to shortstop that turned into an error in the fifth inning to bring home Freshman Michael Sowers before adding a pair of RBIs in the seventh inning to cut the difference to seven runs (11-4).  Delay would follow the at-bat with a RBI double to left center to trim the Lions' lead.
 
The Orange & Blue responded in the inning's bottom half with three runs of their own to push its lead back out to nine (14-5).
 
Florida Memorial began the top of the ninth with numerous, unlucky breaks, walking five of the first six at-bats that resulted in three runs for Thomas and two pitching changes for the Lions.  With the score line 14-8 in favor of FMU, the Lions nabbed two outs on the next pair of batters before surrendering two more runs. 
 
The Night Hawks trimmed the Orange & Blue's lead all the way down to a two-run difference before the Lions changed pitchers once more and found the final out off a flyout from Toxen that saved Florida Memorial's 14-12 win.
 
Game Two (FMU 9, TU 3)
The Night Hawks did not fare any better in the second game, registering seven hits against FMU.  One silver lining in the contest was the play of Redshirt Junior Bradley Fleenor, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBIs, highlighted by the Apopka, Fla. native's second home run of the season.
 
After Fleenor powered the Night Hawks to a 2-0 lead, the Lions spent the third through eighth innings scoring nine, unanswered runs, highlighted by a grand slam in the fifth.
 
Thomas' ninth-inning comeback attempt did not last nearly as long as Game One, as TU tacked on one run from a wild pitch before the Lions ended the top half in six batters.
 
TU by the Numbers
2:        Night Hawks with a three-game hitting streak
5:        Total pitchers on the mound
12:      Times TU was walked on the day
13:      Strikeouts from pitching staff
15:      Runs scored on the day
16:      Hits on the day
 
The Green & White finish the series with a single contest Saturday.  First pitch is now set for 11 a.m.
 
For up-to-date information on this series 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 @NightHawksBaseba.