PULASKI, TN | On Sunday afternoon, the Night Hawks (22-21) and Firehawks (13-24) squared off in the decisive game three of their conference series, following a split in the first two games.
In the top of the first inning the Night Hawks struck first, starting with a one out single from
Mike Sowers, next
Max Pickert hit a hard ground ball to the second baseman and the throw went wide to the shortstop allowing Sowers to slide in safely at second base from the error.
Jean Pool Checo stepped up to the plate and the first pitch of the at bat bounced to the backstop to allow both runners to move up ninety feet to second and third base, and on the second pitch Checo ripped a single to right field scoring two runs and gave TU a 2 - 0 lead.
The Night Hawks continued to add onto their lead in the top of the second inning as
Gabe Tafelski led off with a double to left center field, with one out
Jeremy Santiago hit a soft ground ball to the third baseman, allowing
Gabe Tafelski to move over to third base with two outs in the inning.
Kason Buie stepped up to the plate and hit a line drive single to center field, scoring the runner from third and extending the Night Hawks lead to 3 - 0. UT Southern responded in the bottom of the second inning with a significant blow, a two-run homer that narrowed the Night Hawks lead to 3 - 2.
In the top of the third inning, the Night Hawks continued to score runs, with Pickert drawing a four-pitch walk to kick off the frame. Checo then executed a sacrifice bunt to advance Pickert to second base.
JT Whatley followed up with a single to left field, and an errant relay throw allowed Pickert to score, pushing the Night Hawks lead to 4 - 2. Matt Williams kept the momentum going with a hard-hit grounder to the third baseman, narrowly avoiding a double play and leaving TU with a runner on first and two outs. Tafelski drew a four-pitch walk to give the Night Hawks runners at first and second, setting the stage for
Brayden Lawhon, who struck out but reached first base on a throwing error by the catcher, allowing Williams to cross the plate and extend the lead to 5 - 2.
UT Southern capitalized on their momentum from the second inning, igniting their offense in the bottom of the third. They scored six unanswered runs, starting with a significant RBI single to narrow the score to 5 - 3. A sacrifice fly followed, bringing the score to 5 - 4. Then, a grand slam propelled the Firehawks into the lead for the first time in the game, making it 8 - 4. The Night Hawks mounted a comeback with two additional runs in the top of the fourth inning. Sowers kick-started the rally with a one out double to center field, advancing to third on a wild pitch. Pickert then drove a ground ball single into center field, scoring Sowers and narrowing the deficit to 8 - 6. With Pickert advancing to third on a passed ball,
JT Whatley worked a four-pitch walk, allowing Pickert to score from third as ball four got past the catcher, bringing the score to 8 - 7. The Firehawks secured their win with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, sealing a 12-7 victory. Despite solid defensive efforts from both sides, neither team managed to score again from the fifth to the ninth innings.
Mike Sowers and
Gabe Tafelski both went 2-for-4 on the day with a single, double, and runs scored.
The Night Hawks close out the regular season with a five-game homestand. The homestand begins with a doubleheader against Trinity Baptist on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 4pm. 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.
