March 18, 2005

Final Stats

ABILENE, Texas - Texas Lutheran jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back as the took the first game of its American Southwest Conference series with Hardin-Simmons 20-4 Friday evening at Hunter Field in Abilene.

Both teams went into the game undefeated in league play at 3-0, but TLU took the early advantage in the series. The Cowboys lost the first game to the Bulldogs last season in Seguin, but bounced back to sweep the Saturday doubleheader.

Casey Rehfeld led off the game with a single in the hole to short and stole second. Brice Gilmore singled him home to give TLU the early lead. In the second, the Bulldogs had two outs when they strung together six straight hits to plate six runs. TLU had eight hits in the inning all coming off HSU starter Nick Kincaid, who lasted just 1 2/3 innings.

HSU scored its lone run in the bottom of the second when Michael Popino doubled and scored on a Michael Simpson double. TLU tacked on three runs in the fourth and one in the seventh, then exploded for eight runs in the eighth, five coming after two were out.

Craig Johnson gave the Cowboys two runs in the eighth with a home run to right, his first of the season. Chad Coleman added an RBI single.

Kincaid fell to 3-2 on the year. Adam Enloe was solid on the mound for the Bulldogs to move to 4-0.

Gilmore had four hits and drove in six runs. John Krog had four hits, including a solo home run. Simpson remained hot for the Cowboys with three hits.

HSU fell to 11-7 on the year and TLU improved to 14-3. The two will battle in a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday.