March 8, 2005

Final Stats

ABILENE, Texas - Hardin-Simmons' baseball team won its second straight game with a 13-11 win over Friends University in the Abilene Baseball Classic at Hunter Field on Tuesday afternoon.

Friends jumped out early with five runs in the top of the first inning. They were the beneficiary of a walk and three hit batsmen in the first. The Cowboys responded with three runs in the first on a Michael Simpson three-run home run over the 24-foot green monster in straight away centerfield. The Cowboys tied the game in the third with two runs on an RBI single by Justin Wilson and a sacrifice fly by Simpson.

The Cowboys added five runs in the sixth. Bo Vaculik led off with a pinch-hit double. Taylor Lamar reached on an error and Ryan Stepp had a two-run double to right field. Wilson had a two-run homer in the inning, his seventh of the season.

HSU added three more in the seventh Michael Popino singled and came around to score on an Elliot Strader double to left center. Wilson had an RBI single, Simpson had a sacrifice fly and Strader had an RBI single.

Wilson and Stepp each had four hits for the Cowboys and Simpson was 2-for-2 with five RBIs. Kurtis Lay picked up the win with six and two-thirds innings of relief. Nick Kincaid pitched the final out for his first save.

Hardin-Simmons is now 7-5 on the year and Friends fell to 6-8. HSU will play Southwestern on Wednesday at noon.