So far this season, the Nighthawks have played three games against the Nighthawks, winning all three, scoring almost 17 runs a game on average.
With a win, the Pirates could secure a sweep over the Nighthawks, their first chance to do so in 2025.
With Pirates’ pitching being strong over the past few weeks, they looked like strong favorites coming into the game.
In today’s game, Pirates’ pitching was strong once again, but the score would not properly reflect that fact due to four errors allowing four unearned runs to come in.
The Nighthawks struggled even more defensively, tallying six errors throughout their eight innings on the field.
Even with the errors, the Pirates’ offense picked up 11 hits and outpaced the Nighthawks by scoring four earned runs.
The Pirates’ first two runs came in on passed balls in the first inning, scoring Vuaghn Coleman and Diego Orozco. Coleman had the best hit of the day, hitting a leadoff double off the top of the wall in deep left-center.
The Nighthawks responded strongly in the top of the third, scoring three runs. Ian Stewart drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in the first run, and Mateo Carresi hit a groundball which was not fielded cleanly, allowing two more runs to come in.
The Pirates’ bats immediately made up for the error when Coleman hit a groundball to shortstop with a runner on third to tie the game. Orozco followed Coleman by hitting a line drive up the middle to add one more run and regain the lead.
In the fifth, another error would allow the Nighthawks to tie the game at 4-4. However, the Pirates once again responded positively. In the bottom half of the inning, the Pirates brought in five runs to close the door on the Hawks.
A Wes Hickey single up the middle drove in the winning run. Coleman then drew a bases-loaded walk to add to the lead.
Wyatt Prieto picked up an RBI on a hard-hit groundball, then Cole Koniarsky hit a Sacrifice Fly to extend the score all the way to 8-4.
The fifth and final run came from a Rocco Regan single that was just out of the reach of the diving middle infielders.
After a chaotic first five innings, the pitching staffs and defenses of each team finally settled in. In the last four innings of the game, each team was held to only one run after they scored a combined 13.
Sonny Rios hit an RBI single for the Pirates’ 10th and final run, while Ian Nguyen hit a Sacrifice Fly for the Hawks’ fifth and final run.
Jude Favela and Ryan Oaks were the most impressive pitchers of the day, each allowing zero runs for the Pirates over a combined three innings in relief.
The Pirates’ sweep of the Nighthawks is a great accomplishment and draws the team closer to clinching a playoff spot and the No.1 seed.
Inland Valley Baseball Association 