March 27, 2004

Final Stats

SEGUIN, Texas - Hardin-Simmons' baseball came into the weekend series with Texas Lutheran with the reputation as a big offense, but pitching and defense were the keys to the Cowboys Saturday doubleheader sweep of American Southwest Conference leader Texas Lutheran at Katt-Isbell Field in Seguin.

The Cowboys won the first game 2-1 in eight innings and then scored one run in the sixth and two in the seventh to defeat the Bulldogs 3-1 in the second game.

Both games were pitching duals, but unlike the single game on Friday, it was the Cowboys that came up with the big hits at the right time. In game one, HSU took advantage of a Dustin Spardella error in the second that resulted in an RBI single by Brad Coleman to take a 1-0 lead in the second inning.

The game stayed 1-0 until Texas Lutheran plated a run in the fifth on when Spardella was hit by a pitch and a perfectly executed hit-and-run that moved Spardella to third. Carlos Buentello then had an RBI single.

It stayed 1-1 until the eighth when the Cowboys scratched another run on back-to-back doubles by Tim Donnelly and pinch-hitter Craig Johnson. Both balls were down the left field line. Both hits came when starter Brian Wallace was injured and came out of the game.

Justin Wilson was solid for the Cowboys on the mound, scattering six hits while allowing just one earned run. The Bulldogs left one runner on base in every inning of the game. Wallace struck out eight and allowed just one run in 7 and 1/3 innings.

In game two, the Cowboys went one out into the fifth inning before they got their first hit, a Coleman single and did not score a run until the sixth, when Andy Harrington doubled and scored on a Justin Wilson double to right center to tie the game at one.

TLU had some chances early in the game to get some runs on the board, but left seven runners in the first four innings off of HSU starter Brian Whitworth, but managed just one run when Bryce Gilmore had an RBI single in the first.

HSU scored two runs in the seventh inning after the first two batters were retired. Catcher Scott Drake singled and stole second and scored the go-ahead run on a Barry Janisse single to center. Harrington then singled in Janisse.

Whitworth dominated the back half of the game and he moved to 6-1 with the complete-game win. He allowed seven hits and just one run. Harrington had two hits to lead the offense.

With the two wins, the Cowboys moved into solo possession of first-place in the ASC West road and they are 5-1 on the road in league play. HSU is 15-8 overall and 8-1 in league play. TLU fell to 21-4 and 7-2 in league play.