THOMASVILLE, Ga. – The Thomas Night Hawks split a doubleheader with the Warner Royals on Saturday afternoon at Varnedoe Stadium.
Game One: Thomas 1, Warner 8
The Royals struck first in game one, with a solo homer off of starter
Ian Vickers. However, an inning later, Vickers was dealing on the mound; striking out 5 of the next six batters he faced.
Unfortunately, Warner got the best of Vickers again in the top of the fourth; plating three more runs to extend the lead to 4-0. Thomas did have an opportunity in the bottom of the fourth to get their first run on the board, but they could not bring him across.
After a quick inning, the Night Hawks came out firing as
Noah Smith led off the inning with hit up the middle. Nate Slaughter reached on a hit by pitch following a fly out to put two on. A strikeout put
Seth Waltimyer in a tough spot; however, he was able to draw a walk to load the bases for pinch hitter
Brayden Lawhon. Lawhon snuck one through the right side to score one run, but a miscue on the basepaths got the final out of the inning.
Nate Burnsed relieved Vickers in the top of the sixth, and worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam to bring Thomas back to the plate. However, a fly out and a double play sent the Night Hawks back in the dugout down by three.
The Royals broke open the game in the seventh, scoring three runs to make it a six-run advantage.
Down to their last three outs,
Carson Thomas came in to pinch hit and knocked a single by to reach first. Next,
Julian Garcia came in to hit for Slaughter and he dropped one into left to put two on with one out.
Elias Garcia added a hit of his own to load the bases for Waltimyer. Unfortunately, he grounded into a double play to end the ballgame.
Game Two: Thomas 5, Warner 4
The Night Hawks got on the board in second inning of game two, with
Gabe Tafelski hitting one up the middle to bring home
Jaylen Roque and then on the throwing error,
Teiresias Jones Jr. then rounded around third and scored on a throwing error by the catcher.
Later, in the third inning,
Elias Garcia led off with a hit by pitch, then Waltimyer reached on a fielder's choice giving the Night Hawks two on with no outs. After an infield fly and a strikeout gave Thomas two outs, next to the plate was Lawhon, who came through with a hit to right field, scoring Garcia. During the next at-bat, Waltimyer came home on another throwing error by the catcher to go up by four.
Meanwhile, on the mound, Issac Padilla was putting on a show, retiring the first 15 batters he faced with four of them being strikeouts. Unfortunately, Padilla's bid at perfection ended in the sixth, after allowing a leadoff walk.
Things started to build as he then hit the next batter and allowed his first hit of the game to load the bases with no outs.
The Royals got two on the board, but the freshman kept his cool and got out of the inning with minimal damage.
Lawhon led things off in the bottom half with a double, then Jones Jr came in to run for Lawhon and advanced to third on a wild pitch, then Tafelski brought him home on single to right.
With a three-run cushion, Padilla retired the side again in the seventh. Then
Ashton O'Quinn came into the game and only allowed a run in relief as Warner cut the lead to two.
In the ninth, it was up to the veteran
Sawyer Smith to protect the lead, and after a run scored with two outs, the Royals had the tying run on third. But Smith forced a pop up to first for the final out to split the day.
Padilla came away with the win, pitching a stellar seven innings; scattering two hits and two runs with six strikeouts.
Lawhon had a four-hit day with a double and an RBI, while Tafelski added three hits and three RBI as well.
The Night Hawks will be back at Varnedoe on Friday, Feb.20 for a series with Georgetown College (Ky.) beginning with a doubleheader starting at 1:00p.m.
