March 15, 2008

Final Stats

ABILENE, Texas - Hardin-Simmons' baseball team dropped a doubleheader to American Southwest Conference leader Mary Hardin-Baylor, 10-4 and 5-4, Saturday afternoon at Hunter Field in Abilene.

In the first game the Cowboys never recovered from UMHB scoring four runs in the top of the first inning after the first two batters were retired. Andrew White had an RBI single and R.B. Garza had a two-run single. HSU committed an error to allow the fourth run to score. UMHB added a run in the third to make it 5-0, when White singled moved to second on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on another wild pitch.

Brian Weeks had his first career home run in the third, a two-run shot to cut the Cowboys deficit to 5-2 in the bottom of the third. UMHB pushed the lead out to 10-2 and it remained that way until Cowboy freshman Jaxon Jordan came off the bench and hit a two-run home run to left field for his first career hit.

Lance Johnson (1-1) took the loss for the Cowboys. He allowed five runs on six hits in two and two-third innings. Zach Tumlinson earned the win with five solid innings of work. He scattered five hits and struck out seven. Weeks had two hits to lead the Cowboys, White had three hits for UMHB.

The nightcap was a good game throughout. HSU took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second when freshman Andrew Rehling and Kyle Post had back-to-back two-out RBI singles.

UMHB added single runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings. Adam Froeschel had a sacrifice fly for UMHB in the third, the Cru scored on a two-out error by Weeks in the fifth, and took the 3-2 lead with a Marcus Volz two-out RBI double in the sixth.

Post had an RBI single for the Cowboys in the bottom of the seventh. UMHB then hit solo home runs in the eighth and ninth innings off of Kyle Barton. It was the first two runs he allowed all year. The one in the eighth came from Garza and Joseph Villegas capped a four-hit game with a homer to right.

Ryan Stepp led off the ninth with a solo home run to left field, but the Cowboys could not get a runner on after some nice defense by the Cru in the ninth.

Freshman Jared Hopper (2-1) earned the win for the Cru with seven solid innings. Barton (3-1) took the loss. Adrian Montoya earned the save for UMHB.

UMHB improved to 16-4 on the year and HSU fell to 11-8. UMHB is now 5-1 in ASC play and alone in first place. HSU is 2-4 in league action. HSU will play at ACU on Tuesday at 6 p.m.