THOMASVILLE, Ga. — Thomas University made the most of Senior Day at Varnedoe Field on Saturday, taking two of three from No. 15 William Carey over the weekend to strengthen its position in a crowded SSAC race entering the final weekend of the regular season.
The Night Hawks won game one of Saturday's doubleheader 6-5 before dropping the nightcap 9-6, splitting the day's action but claiming the series. Thomas has now won 14 of its last 16 games and sits in sole possession of second place in the conference standings at 16-8, one game behind Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
With only one series remaining for all teams, the stakes could not be higher. ABAC, Thomas, Loyola, William Carey and Mobile all remain mathematically alive in the race for the regular season championship. ABAC needs just two wins to clinch the title, as it holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Night Hawks. The top eight teams in the SSAC standings qualify for the four-day championship tournament, scheduled for April 29–May 2 at Rockabilly's Stadium in Jackson, Tenn., where teams will be divided into two pools of four.
Game 1 — Thomas 6, William Carey 5
After honoring its seniors in pregame ceremonies, Thomas delivered the kind of Senior Day performance the occasion deserved.
The Night Hawks fell behind 2-0 after three innings before a pivotal third inning blast from Carson Thomas a two-run home run to right field off William Carey starter Josh MacCord tied the game at 2-2. The teams had traded homers earlier, as William Carey's DeeJay Booth hit a two-run shot to put the Crusaders ahead.
William Carey extended its lead to 5-4 in the sixth when pinch hitter Barron Frazer crushed a two-run homer to right center. But Thomas refused to fold. A Dylan Wallace throwing error opened the door in the bottom of the sixth, and Brayden Lawhon delivered a go-ahead RBI single through the left side, with Gabe Tafelski adding a run-scoring single to give the Night Hawks a 6-5 lead they would not surrender.
Nate Burnsed (1-0) earned the win in relief, striking out three across 1.1 scoreless innings. Wallace (2-3) took the loss after allowing three runs on a combination of hits and a critical error in the decisive sixth. Lawhon led Thomas with three hits and an RBI, while Tafelski and Carson Thomas each contributed two hits and an RBI. Booth paced the Crusaders with a homer and two RBIs.
Game 2 — William Carey 9, Thomas 6
William Carey salvaged the nightcap, but not before Thomas mounted a furious comeback that fell just short.
The Crusaders jumped on Thomas, sending nine batters to the plate in a three-run first inning. Jayden Mark and Franklin Hernandez each drove in runs with singles, and William Carey added two more in the second to take a commanding 5-1 lead. A baserunning oddity in the second added the fifth run when Tyler Ducksworth was picked off first base and Hays Carley scored during the ensuing rundown.
Thomas chipped away. In the fourth inning, the Night Hawks sent eight batters to the plate against Everett Thompson, using two walks and a Seth Waltimyer hit by pitch to load the bases before Jaylen Roque laced a two-run double to left center to cut the deficit to 5-4. Nic Arender's solo home run in the sixth extended the William Carey lead to 6-4, but Thomas answered again in the seventh. Roque scored on a fielder's choice aided by a Gage Hinnant throwing error, and Tafelski drove in two with a double down the left-field line to tie the game at six.
The Crusaders put it away in the eighth when Taylor Walters — who finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs — singled to right to score Nic Arender and Gage Hinnant and break the tie. William Carey added an insurance run via a bases-loaded walk in the ninth.
.Roque, Tafelski and Lucas Dufresne each went 3-for-5 for Thomas, with Dufresne collecting two doubles and Roque finishing with two RBIs.
Thomas took the three-game series two games to one, with Friday's 9-2 historic victory — the program's first-ever win over William Carey — serving as the series clincher. William Carey drops to 31-16 overall and 15-9 in the SSAC, now tied with Loyola for third place.
With the final series of the regular season on deck, Thomas controls its own destiny for second place. ABAC leads the SSAC at 17-7 and can clinch the regular season title with two wins in its final series. Should ABAC come up short they receive the first tiebreaker as they won the head to head matchup against Thomas.
Thomas opens its final regular season series Thursday at Brewton-Parker, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. EST in Mount Vernon, Ga.
