ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Thomas (Ga.) University ended up having the slight upper hand in an entertaining pitcher's duel, interrupting a four-game win streak for the Eckerd College baseball program on Wednesday night, 2-0.
The Tritons (8-4, 0-0 SSC) and Night Hawks (13-9, 8-1 TSC) finished in just over two hours and 30 minutes at the Turley Athletic Complex with offense coming at an ultimate premium.
Eckerd and Thomas combined for nine hits on the night as both sides used three pitchers in a low-scoring affair.
Thomas scratched out runs in the top half of the second and ninth innings to back starter Evan Morgan as he improved to 3-0 on the mound. Morgan threw seven shutout innings and scattered four hits for the winning decision.
John Gainey pitched a scoreless ninth in a save situation to close it out for Thomas.
In his first start of the spring, Eckerd senior lefty
Richard Kowalski toed the rubber and shined against his positional counterpart in eight strong innings. He allowed just one run on three hits while striking out six.
Kowalski exhausted just over 100 pitches and progressively grew stronger in the late innings. He stranded the bases loaded full of Night Hawks to end the seventh inning, setting down Austin Corbitt on three straight pitches to record his final punchout.
Kowalski came on to retire the side in order in the eighth before being lifted for relievers
Kyle Harding and
Joe Saia.
Sophomore
Rowdy Andrews doubled and singled at the top of the order. The Tritons' chances of evening the score early on were enhanced when senior
Chris Hanson sent a screaming line drive to the gap, but a diving stop prevented a potential tying run to cross the plate.
Senior outfielder
Lincoln Dunham singled to extend what has turned into a torrid 12-game hitting streak at the plate. His .467 average on the season ranks in the top 25 among all players factored in the national rankings.
Junior
Mike Abraham also singled to bump his season line up to .484. He has recorded a hit in eight of the 10 games appeared in this spring.
The Night Hawks scored on a sacrifice fly and took advantage of a bases-loaded walk for all the run support they would turn out to need.
Eckerd will open the Sunshine State Conference schedule with a three-game slate scheduled against Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale this weekend. The Tritons and Sharks will meet for Friday's 6 p.m. nine-inning game before playing their doubleheader on Saturday.
