The National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk baseball team (18-35, 12-24) ended its season Saturday against University of Arkansas-Rich Mountain, falling to the Bucks, 9-1 and 13-3, respectively, in its NJCAA Region II double header.
In the opener, NPC watched the game slip away early and could not recover. The Bucks hit the ground running with four runs in the bottom of the first inning and held the Nighthawks at bay, defensively, allowing just one run on six hits. The Nighthawks avoided the shutout in the top of the seventh inning, with sophomore left fielder Evan Shoffit (Fayetteville) driving in the team’s lone run on a sacrifice groundout to second base, but could not overturn the deficit in defeat.
Sophomore pitcher Josh Beezley (Sydney, Australia) got the start for NPC. The righty lasted one and two-thirds innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with one strikeout.
A seven-run fourth inning from UA Rich Mountain proved to be the dagger in the finale, with the Bucks breaking a scoreless stalemate to take the lead for good. NPC chipped away at the deficit with three runs in the top of the fifth inning. Freshman third baseman Kenny Espinosa (Houston, Texas) smacked an RBI single, followed by a two-run base hit from sophomore second baseman John Satterfield (Little Rock). UA Rich Mountain responded with five runs in the bottom of the inning, however, putting the game out of reach and eliminating NPC from postseason contention.
Sophomore hurler Eli Hutcherson (Cabot) took the mound for NPC, holding the Bucks scoreless on one hit with four strikeouts over three innings. Espinosa led NPC at the plate, finishing two-for-three in the loss.
For more information on schedules, rosters and more, visit Nighthawks baseball online. Fans can also follow the Nighthawks all season on social media.
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