The National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk baseball team earned a four-game NJCAA Division
II Region II series sweep with No. 20 Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa (NOC-Tonkawa)
over the weekend, picking up 4-2 and 2-1 wins on Homecoming on Saturday and notching
10-1 and 10-4 victories on Sunday.
In the series opener on Saturday, the Nighthawks (19-18, 8-8) thrived behind a strong
start from freshman pitcher Cole Rodriguez (Cypress, TX), who struck out 11 Mavericks
over six innings of work. Trailing, 1-0, entering the bottom of the third inning,
sophomore Panama H-Mendez (Miami, FL) launched a two-run home run to give NPC the
lead for good. NPC tallied seven hits in the win, led by multi-hit efforts from freshman
Tristen Jamison (Nashville) and H-Mendez.
With freshman pitcher Kenley Anderson (Horatio) on the mound for game two, NPC’s hot
pitching continued. The right-hander went nine innings, allowing one run on five hits
with two strikeouts. A fifth-inning solo home run from freshman Jesus Minjarez (Hot
Springs) tied the game at one, and an RBI sacrifice fly from freshman Jack Hackney
(DeWitt) proved to be the difference maker, putting NPC on top for good on Homecoming.
On Sunday, NPC struck early and never looked back, with Jamison and Rodriguez each
blasting two-run home runs in the bottom of the first inning to set the pace, offensively. Rodriguez repeated history in the third inning, knocking a second two-run
home run, while H-Mendez joined the two-run home run club in the fourth inning. Minjarez
knocked in two runs with a sixth-inning single in the win. The Nighthawks totaled
11 hits in the game, with Minjarez and freshman CJ Price (Little Rock) collecting
three hits in the win.
In the series finale, NPC fell behind early, 3-0, through the first three innings.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Nighthawks tied the game on a three-run home
run from freshman Brett Sweatman (Manila). Behind an RBI double from freshman Demias
Jimerson (Malvern) and an RBI single from Jamison, NPC pulled away for good with two
runs in the fifth inning. Jamison added home runs in the sixth and eighth innings
for insurance, completing a 4-for-5 outing at the plate.
Matthew Herron (Mountain Pine) earned the win in relief for the Nighthawks. The freshman
hurler allowed two hits and one run over two innings, striking out two. Freshman Jackson
Pope (Sherwood) earned the nine-out save for NPC.
NPC plays at Redlands Community College for a double header on Saturday, Apr. 24 beginning
at 1 p.m. and a double header on Sunday, Apr. 25 beginning at 12 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.
Facebook: Nighthawk Athletics
Twitter: @NPC_Nighthawks
Instagram: nighthawkathletics
Snapchat: npnighthawks
