Skyhawks Keep Pace but Come up Short in Twin Bill Against UT Southern
PULASKI, Tenn. – The Point University Skyhawks held the University of Tennessee Southern Firehawks to just one run in game one and entered the fourth inning of game two tied 7-7 on Saturday night. However, they ultimately ran out of gas, as the Firehawks completed their doubleheader sweep with wins of 3-2 and 14-9.
Game One:
Point took a late lead, but Tennessee Southern answered twice and delivered the Skyhawks a 3-2 loss. The walk-off run came in the bottom of the ninth, after the Firehawks had erased Point's one-run advantage with a tying run in the seventh.
The game opened with Tennessee Southern striking in the bottom of the first. Anthony Pastrana tripled to right-center and later came home on a balk for a 1-0 lead. Point stayed within reach behind starter Daniel Crabtree, who gave the Skyhawks six steady innings. Crabtree allowed one earned run on five hits, struck out four and walked three, giving Point time to settle in at the plate.
The sixth inning went in Point's favor. The Skyhawks turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. Will Hoggard batted in Jackson Divido, with an error helping extend the play, and Easton Harrison followed with another run-scoring single. Harrison went 2 -for-4 with two RBIs, while Hoggard also had two hits and an RBI as Point collected nine hits overall.
Point was three outs away from a victory in what was originally slated as the seven-inning game of the doubleheader. Anthony Pastrana's RBI knock spoiled Vittorio Iacobucci's bid for a save on the mound and leveled the score 2-2.
Pastrana went on to become the hero of the game for UT Southern, representing the winning run in the ninth. He was 4-for-5 with two runs, one RBI and a triple.
Game Two:
After Point carried leads of 4-1 after two innings and 5-4 after the third inning, Tennessee Southern jumped ahead with a three-run third and a seven-run fourth that turned the game into a 14-7 deficit.
The Skyhawks struck first in the opening inning when Bailey Stroud singled and later scored on Arwin Burgos' RBI single. Point added three more runs in the second to move in front 4-1, with Burgos delivering a two-run single as part of the rally. Tennessee Southern answered quickly, tying the game 4-4 in the bottom of the second before Point edged back in front 5-4 in the third.
That edge did not last. Tennessee Southern plated three runs in the bottom of the third to move ahead 7-5, then ran away with the lead in the fourth. Anthony Pastrana and Zac Wilson helped drive the offense throughout the comeback, and Cooper Phillips added a two-run double during the seven-run inning.
Burgos and Stroud led Point's offense in a losing effort. Burgos finished 3-for-4 with five RBIs, a double and a sacrifice fly, while Stroud went 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs scored and an RBI. As a team, the Skyhawks collected 14 hits, drew five walks and totaled five doubles, but Tennessee Southern limited the damage late after the high-scoring first four innings.
The Skyhawks made one last push in the top of the seventh, scoring twice to cut the deficit to 14-9, with Burgos and Stroud again contributing to the rally. The comeback stopped there, leaving Point to absorb a game in which its fast start was undone by Tennessee Southern's 10-run burst across the third and fourth innings.