19 Apr 2023 Nighthawks fall to Rockets

HOT SPRINGS — The National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk baseball team (13-27) fell in its NJCAA Region II series against Southern Arkansas University Tech (SAU Tech) Friday, with a 10-4 defeat in game one and a 14-1 loss in the finale.

In a back-and-forth game one, SAU Tech’s bats heated up late, propelling the Rockets over the finish line. Trailing, 3-0, in the bottom of the third inning, NPC got on the board when freshman right fielder Evan Grissom (Mount Pleasant, Texas) scored on a wild pitch. The Nighthawks continued to chip away at the deficit in the fourth inning with an RBI sacrifice fly from sophomore third baseman Eli Hutcherson (Cabot). NPC struck again in the fifth inning as freshman center fielder Hunter Guill (Bentonville) scored on a wild pitch. 

After the Nighthawks pulled within one run, 4-3, after five innings, SAU Tech padded its lead with three runs apiece in the sixth and seventh innings. Sophomore second baseman Cameron Tyson (Cullen, Louisiana) smacked an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning for NPC, but the Nighthawks could not rally back in defeat. 

Sophomore pitcher Josh Beezley (Sydney, Australia) got the start for NPC, allowing four runs on four hits with five strikeouts over five innings. At the plate, Grissom, Guill, sophomore left fielder Evan Shoffit (Fayetteville) and sophomore designated hitter Daeton Bassett (Fountain Lake) tallied two hits apiece in the loss. 

SAU Tech scored early and often in the finale, with the Nighthawks unable to recover. Held to just two hits, NPC avoided the shutout with sophomore second baseman D’Angelo Hinojosa (Houston, Texas) scoring on a bases-loaded walk in the sixth inning. 

Sophomore pitcher Myles Anderson (Houston, Texas) toed the rubber for NPC, allowing seven runs on four hits over two and two-thirds innings, striking out four. Tyson and freshman catcher Oscar Martinez (Mayaguez, Puerto Rico) led NPC at the plate with one hit apiece in the loss. 

NPC plays host to Carl Albert State College in an NJCAA Region II double header Thursday, April 20, beginning at 11 a.m. Game two will be streamed live on the Nighthawk Network with an estimated start time of 2 p.m. 

For more information on schedules, rosters and more, visit Nighthawks baseball online. Fans can also follow the Nighthawks all season on social media.