THOMASVILLE, Ga. — The Thomas University Night Hawks had a stellar weekend, securing a commanding 9–2 victory in the first game and following it up with a solid 5-2 win in the second game against Blue Mountain Christian to win the series at Varnedoe Stadium .
Game 1: Thomas 9, Blue Mountain 2
In the first game, the Night Hawks scored in five of their six offensive innings, highlighted by a big four-run fifth.
Elias Garcia and
Seth Waltimyer set the tone early with back-to-back singles, leading to a run on a fielding error.
Lucas Dufresne contributed with a fielder's choice RBI, giving Thomas an early 2–0 lead.
Jackson Thomas extended the advantage with a solo shot to left field in the second inning, making it 3–0. Although Blue Mountain managed a run in the third, the Night Hawks responded when
Brayden Lawhon scored on
Aidan Reyes' sacrifice fly, keeping the score 4–1 after three innings. The offense erupted again in the fifth;
Teiresias Jones Jr., running for Lawhon, stole second and scored on
Max Pickert's RBI single. Two passed balls brought in two more runs before
Carson Thomas's two-RBI single capped the inning, stretching the lead to 8–2.
Jeremy Santiago concluded the game with an RBI single (his first of the season) in the sixth, sealing the 9–2 triumph.
On the mound,
Ian Vickers was dominant, throwing six innings, striking out eight, and allowing just two earned runs on six hits. Despite seven walks, he maintained control with 59 strikes out of 112 pitches and a 2.17 WHIP.
Nate Burnsed closed out the game with a solid inning, giving up 1 hit and striking out 1, with a 1.00 WHIP. Garcia shone with two runs and two hits, while
Jackson Thomas's homer and two runs scored were significant.
Carson Thomas contributed two crucial RBIs, and Vickers led the way on the mound.
Game 2: Thomas 5, Blue Mountain 2
In the second game, the Night Hawks jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, fueled by a decisive offensive effort.
Elias Garcia drew a walk to start the inning, followed by a single from
Seth Waltimyer. Garcia scored on
Lucas Dufresne's RBI single, and
Gabe Tafelski's sacrifice fly brought Waltimyer home.
Jackson Thomas capped off the inning with a two-run single.
Carson Thomas added to the lead in the fourth with an RBI single from Waltimyer, making it 5-0. The Toppers tried to rally, scoring in the seventh with an RBI double from Gates Gerhart and adding another run in the eighth, but the Night Hawks held firm, sealing the win at 5-2.
Isaac Padilla was stellar on the mound, pitching 7.1 innings and surrendering only two earned runs on five hits moving to 6-2 overall. He struck out eight and maintained a WHIP of 0.99.
Ashton O'Quinn took over in relief, delivering 1.2 innings of hitless, scoreless baseball for the save. Waltimyer was the offensive star with four hits, a run, an RBI, and two stolen bases.
Jackson Thomas contributed two RBIs and two steals, while
Carson Thomas made his mark with two hits, including a double.
The Night Hawks now stand at 15-16 overall and 8-6 in conference play. Up next, they will host Blue Mountain Christian at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 28 at Varnedoe Stadium in Thomasville, Georgia for the last game in the series.
