Two home runs from Austin Hawke highlighted an 8-4 win on Monday at the Upper Valley Nighthawks in six-and-a-half innings on Monday.

Wake Forest’s Austin Hawke gave the SwampBats the lead three pitches into the game by crushing his second home run of the season over the fence in left-center. Josh Gunther (Wake Forest) pitched two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out two in an abbreviated start as he prepares to pitch in the playoffs. Braxton Stewart (Iowa Western CC) came in to pitch the third, and with two outs, the Nighthawks hit an RBI double and a two-run bloop single to take a 3-1 lead. In the top of the fourth, Bryce Molinaro (Penn State) led off with a base hit to center and stole second. David Mendez (Vanderbilt) singled off the shortstop’s glove and then TJ Schuyler (Indiana) was hit by a pitch. With the bases loaded and one out, Kent State’s Ripken Reese looped a single into left to score Molinaro and a hustling Mendez from second, tying the game at three. JD Jones (Rutgers) followed with a single to drive in Schuyler and give the SwampBats the lead. Pitcher Sean Finn (Connecticut), getting an emergency start in left field, then pulled an RBI double down the left field line for his unexpected second hit of the game. Hawke capped off the rally with an RBI groundout, making it 6-3 SwampBats. Stewart pitched a one-two-three bottom of the fourth and earned the win. 

Thomas Goldberg (Wingate) came in to pitch the fifth and sixth, and gave up just one run on a single in the fifth in his second outing as a SwampBat. Hawke pulled a fly ball down the left field line in the sixth which flew over the fence for his second home run of the game to make it 7-4 SwampBats. In the seventh, pitcher Jackson Gaspard (Georgia Tech) chopped a single over third, eliciting the same cheers from the dugout that came for Finn. After he was erased on a double play, Mendez singled and stole second before being singled home by Schuyler to make it 8-4. Heavy rain started to come down hard as Upper Valley got the final out of the frame. The umpires and coaches discussed the situation as fans and players took cover, and the decision was taken to call the game. 

The Swampbats (25-18) finish up the regular season on Monadnock Broadcasting Group night against Sanford on Tuesday. Military and First Responders will be recognized at the game. With the Mainers’ rain-shortened 6-3 win over the Mountaineers on Monday, Sanford locked up the four seed in the playoffs as the top wild card team while the SwampBats will be the five seed. Keene will visit the Mainers for game one on Thursday and host game two on Friday. A decisive game three if necessary would be on Saturday in Sanford.