THOMASVILLE, Ga. — Thomas cruised to a 10-3 victory over Paine College in game one and picked up the night cap 16-9 for the sweep of the doubleheader on Wednesday's at Varnedoe Field improving to 25-17 on the season.
Game 1: Thomas 10, Paine College 3
The Night Hawks plated runs in three of the first four innings, building a 10-0 advantage before Paine scratched across three runs in the fifth.
Lucas Dufresne led the Thomas offense, going 3-for-3 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Conner Hutto delivered the knockout blow in the fourth with a three-run home run to left field — his pinch-hit blast capping a six-run frame that put the game out of reach. Jaylen Roque added two hits and two RBIs, while Drew Clayton contributed a pair of singles and scored once.
Thomas wasted no time getting on the board in the first. Elias Garcia was hit by a pitch, Seth Waltimyer drew a walk, and Jaylen Roque was plunked to load the bases. Dufresne followed with an RBI single, and a fielding error by shortstop allowed another run to score, giving Thomas a 2-0 lead.
The Night Hawks added two more in the third on a Dufresne RBI double and a Noah Smith groundout RBI, then turned the game into a blowout in the fourth. Consecutive hits by Waltimyer and Roque drove in two runs, Dufresne's single plated another, and Hutto's three-run shot for his first varsity homerun made it 10-0.
Christian Maige earned the win, allowing just one hit and no runs over three innings while striking out one. Charlie Eidelman and Reece Holloway combined for 3.0 innings of relief and Knox Ledbetter closed out the seventh with a perfect inning..
Game 2: Thomas 16, Paine College 9
THOMASVILLE, Ga. — Thomas erupted for eight runs in the fourth inning and completed a doubleheader sweep with a 16-9 victory over Paine College in game two.
The Night Hawks built leads early, answered every Paine rally and ultimately pulled away behind a relentless offensive attack that featured 12 hits, six stolen bases and a barrage of Paine errors. The Lions committed six errors, leading to seven unearned runs.
Thomas responded quickly after Paine jumped out to a 3-0 first-inning lead. Julian Garcia was hit by a pitch, stole second and raced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Seth Waltimyer followed with an RBI single, then scored on a Carson Thomas sacrifice fly to pull the Night Hawks within one. Thomas tied the game at 2-3 heading into the second.
Paine appeared to seize control with a five-run third, capitalizing on two Thomas errors to plate four unearned runs on a Mason Roundtree two-RBI single and a Carlos Delgado two-RBI single. But Thomas answered with four of its own in the bottom half of the third on RBI groundouts and stolen-base-aided chaos that made it 6-6.
The decisive blow came in the fourth. Thomas sent 12 batters to the plate, scoring eight times. Waltimyer went 3-for-3 with a stolen base in the game, while Carson Thomas delivered a two-RBI single and Brayden Lawhon followed with a two-run double to blow it open. Aidan Reyes added a two-RBI triple and Jeremy Santiago tacked on an RBI single during the onslaught, sending the Night Hawks to a 14-9 advantage.
Thomas tacked on two more in the fifth on a Carson Thomas double and an RBI sacrifice fly by Lawhon.
Waltimyer was the offensive catalyst, finishing 3-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and three runs scored. Carson Thomas went 2-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Lawhon drove in three runs and Aidan Reyes added two RBIs on his triple. Jackson Thomas went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two stolen bases.
Michael Surane picked up the win for Thomas as the pitcher of record, tossing two scoreless innings in relief. Sawyer Smith struck out six in two innings of shutout work to close it out. Ryan Chapman took the start,working in 2 1/3 innings.
The Night Hawks have won 12 of their last 13 games of season since dropping their last midweek doubleheader.
Next up the Night Hawks take on William Carey for their last home series of the series. First pitch for game one is on Friday at 6 p.m. EST.
