MT. VERNON, Ga. — Brewton-Parker completed a doubleheader sweep of Thomas on Friday, edging the Night Hawks 2-1 in a seven-inning opener before holding on for a 10-9 victory in a nine-inning nightcap to hand Thomas a difficult day in SSAC play.
Game 1: Brewton-Parker 2, Thomas 1
In the opener, Thomas put together the better offensive performance — outhitting Brewton-Parker and generating traffic all afternoon — but left 10 runners on base and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position after the third inning, squandering chance after chance in a 2-1 defeat.
Elias Garcia was the brightest spot in the Thomas lineup, reaching base all four times he came to the plate — going 2-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base and scoring the Night Hawks' lone run. He sparked the only Thomas scoring in the third, reaching on a hit-by-pitch before Jaylen Roque drove him home with a single to center. Thomas led 1-0 entering the bottom of the fourth, but Ian Vickers couldn't hold the advantage. Brewton-Parker's Fred Diaz doubled home a run to knot the game at one, the lone earned run Vickers would allow in his five solid innings of work.
With the game tied and Thomas threatening in nearly every inning but unable to convert, Brewton-Parker broke through in the seventh. Zach Carlton delivered a two-out RBI single off reliever Ashton O'Quinn to plate pinch runner Jihad Guy, who had reached on a Raul Morales single and advanced on a bunt, giving the Barons a 2-1 walk-off win.
Thomas threatened in the final half-inning, loading the bases with two outs after Garcia drew yet another walk and Seth Waltimyer laid down a sacrifice bunt. But with runners on second and third, Brewton-Parker intentionally walked Lucas Dufresne to load the bases, and Carson Thomas struck out swinging to end it.
Game 2: Brewton-Parker 10, Thomas 9
Thomas jumped on Brewton-Parker starter Grant Cochran immediately, scoring two in the first inning on a Roque sacrifice fly and a Dufresne RBI single, then erupting for four more in the second. The big blow was a bases-loaded walk drawn by Carson Thomas with two outs that capped the inning and pushed the lead to 6-2. Thomas — who had a brilliant individual performance — finished 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI, while Dufresne went 2-for-5 with two RBI and Gabe Tafelski contributed two hits and a run-scoring sacrifice fly.
But the lead melted. Jeremi Lara's two-run double gave Brewton-Parker two in the first, a three-run second trimmed it to 6-5, and Anthony Savarese's solo home run in the third made it a one-run game. From there Fred Diaz crushed a two-run homer in the sixth to put Brewton-Parker on top 8-7, and pinch hitter Caleb Strott delivered a two-run blast in the seventh to extend the lead to 10-7.
Thomas scratched out two runs in the eighth on a pair of Brewton-Parker errors, pulling within 10-9, and loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth before Brayden Lawhon flied out to right to end the game. Thomas left 14 runners on base in the nightcap and drew ten walks.
Despite the loss the Night Hawks sit in third place in the conference standings at the conclusion of the regular season. Next up Thomas will face Loyola or Mobile in game one of the SSAC Tournament in Jackson, Tenn. First pitch is set for Wednesday, April 29th at 10:00 a.m. All games will be streamed on the Urban Edge Network.
