The National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk baseball team (18-12-1) swept its National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 2 doubleheader with Arkansas State University-Three Rivers at Majestic Park Thursday, earning a dominant 15-1 victory in the opener and outlasting the Eagles, 12-9, in the finale.
Fueled by a monster day at the plate from sophomore first baseman Josh Wacaser (Bentonville), NPC grabbed the lead early and never looked back in game one. Wacaser knocked a two-run homer in the first inning and a three-run home run in the second inning as the Nighthawks took a 6-0 advantage through two innings.
ASU-Three Rivers got on the board in the third inning with an RBI sacrifice fly, but a nine-run deluge from NPC in the bottom of the fourth inning put the game out of reach. Sophomore center fielder Ryan McClure (Double Oak, Texas) smacked an RBI double, followed by an RBI groundout from Wacaser. Later in the inning, freshman left fielder Ty Ruby (Greenbrier) drove in two Nighthawks on a double to right field, followed by an RBI single from sophomore third baseman Landon Hennen (Choudrant, Louisiana). Sophomore catcher Jace Denton (Flowermound, Texas) came in to score on a throwing error, McClure doubled in two more runs and freshman right fielder Ian McCracken (Carrollton, Texas) drew a bases-loaded walk to cap the scoring in the fourth inning. With the Eagles unable to answer in the top of the fifth inning, NPC cruised to its second NJCAA Region 2 victory of the season.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Bryan Raitz (Dallas, Texas) went the distance on the mound, allowing one run on three hits with four strikeouts over five innings to notch his sixth win of the season. The win, Raitz’s 11th of his career, also propelled him past former Nighthawk Eli Hutcherson (Cabot) to become NPC’s all-time leader in wins. Wacaser led the Nighthawks at the plate, tallying six RBI, two runs scored and one walk while finishing two-for-three for the game.
Game two was a back-and-forth battle, with NPC emerging victorious in the end. ASU-Three Rivers started the scoring in the top of the first inning with a solo home run to take its first lead of the series. Wacaser smacked his third homer of the series, a two-run blast, in the bottom of the first inning to put NPC in front, 2-1. Wacaser remained hot in the bottom of the second inning, driving in two runs on a single to left field as the Nighthawks increased their lead. The Eagles would not go away quietly, however, scoring two runs in the third inning and one run in the fourth inning to tie the game, 4-4.
NPC regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring two runs on a fielding error in center field. ASU-Three Rivers pulled within one run, 6-5, in the top of the sixth inning, before the Nighthawks opened the floodgates with a five-run bottom of the sixth inning. McCracken started the scoring with an RBI double to left field, followed by an RBI single from sophomore designated hitter Aiden Smith (Nashville). Freshman catcher Aidan Adair (Rogers) drove in two runs on a single to center field, followed by a bases-loaded walk from freshman shortstop Cam Landy (Perth, Australia) to cap the scoring.
In the top of the seventh inning, ASU-Three Rivers continued to threaten NPC’s lead, plating four Eagles to pull within two runs, 11-9. With an inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, Ruby put an exclamation point on the ballgame as the Nighthawks outlasted the Eagles for the doubleheader sweep.
Freshman pitcher Joey Staiger (Tucson, Arizona) got the start for NPC, allowing four runs on seven hits with four strikeouts over four innings. Freshman reliever Jackson McDaniel (Conway) allowed one run on one hit over two innings to earn the win in relief. Wacaser led the Nighthawks from the batter’s box, finishing two-for-four with four RBI, one walk and two runs scored.
NPC plays at ASU-Three Rivers in a doubleheader today at Malvern High School, beginning at 4 p.m.
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