Orange Park, FL | On Tuesday afternoon, the Thomas University Night Hawks (17-12) hit the road to face the Edward Waters University Tigers (14-10) in a non-conference showdown. The Night Hawks aimed to bounce back from a tough three-game conference series loss over the weekend, while the Tigers entered the contest on a high note, boasting a four-game win streak after sweeping Clark Atlanta University in conference play.
 
In the top of the third inning, the Night Hawks regained momentum by scoring two runs to take the lead. The rally began with Kason Buie reaching first base on an error by the pitcher, followed by a stolen base to advance to second. JT Whatley then delivered an RBI double to score Buie. Turner Maddox added to the hit column with a line drive single to center field, advancing Whatley to third. With runners on the corners, Elias Garcia drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Riley Borgert followed  with an RBI walk, giving TU their first lead of the night at 2-1. Edward Waters leveled the score at two in the bottom of the fourth inning as a run crossed the plate due to a passed ball.
 
The momentum swung back in favor of the Night Hawks in the top of the fifth inning as TU scored two runs. The inning began with a walk to Maddox, who then stole second base to get into scoring position. Easton Willis followed with a sacrifice ground-out to first base, advancing Maddox to third with one out. Garcia capitalized with an RBI line drive single to center field, bringing Maddox home and giving TU a 3-2 lead. R. Borgert was hit by a pitch on the second pitch he saw, putting Night Hawks on first and second. Cameron Rosario then singled to center field, loading the bases, and Luis Torres hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring the second run of the inning and extending TU's lead to 4-2 after the fifth.
 
The Night Hawks continued their offensive surge in the top of the sixth inning, extending their lead to seven runs as five runs crossed the plate. The inning began with a walk to JT Whatley, followed by consecutive hit-by-pitch situations for Maddox and Willis, loading the bases with no outs. Riley Borgert and Rosario then both drew walks, driving in back-to-back runs and pushing the lead to 6-2. With the bases still loaded, Buie delivered a 3-RBI double deep into right-center field, clearing the bases and further extending the Night Hawks lead to 9-2. The Tigers managed to chip away at the Night Hawks lead, scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to narrow the deficit to 9-4 as the game headed into the eighth inning. In the top of the eighth inning, Borgert led off with a single to left field. With one out, Torres doubled to right field, placing Night Hawks runners at second and third base. Despite the second out of the inning, TU capitalized on the opportunity, stringing together back-to-back singles that scored three runs, extending their lead to 12-4. Although the Tigers managed to score one more run in the bottom of the eighth, narrowing the deficit to 12-5, the Night Hawks added one final run in the top of the ninth inning. Garcia crossed the plate on a single from Jean Pool Checo, securing TU's victory at 13-5.
 
Right Handed Freshman - Tanner Reed would get his first win in the Night Hawks uniform after going three innings, allowing one run on two hits, while striking out two batters.
 
Four Night Hawk batters stood out at the plate, with Cameron Rosario leading the charge by going 3-for-5 with three singles. JT Whatley also had a strong performance, going 3-for-5 with two singles and a double. Additionally, Max Pickert and Luis Torres each contributed with a pair of singles. Overall, the Night Hawks had fifteen hits in the game.
 
The Night Hawks will travel to Point to face the Skyhawks for a weekend series. For up-to-date information on awards 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.