April 8, 2004

Final Stats

ABILENE, Texas - Hardin-Simmons' baseball team opened up its American Southwest Conference series against Mary Hardin-Baylor with a 7-2 win behind the 11 strikeout pitching performance by Craig Foreman, Thursday night at Hunter Field.

The Cowboys, who with a 1-0 loss by Concordia-Austin to Howard Payne on Thursday, moved into a tie for second-place in the ASC West Division with just eight games remaining, including a three-game set with the Tornados. HSU sits just one game behind leader McMurry, who won 7-1 in Seguin over Texas Lutheran.

Hardin-Simmons got on the board in the first inning on a two-run home run by Barry Janisse. Scott Drake had led off the game with a single to right ahead of Janisse's shot that went to left centerfield.

Mary Hardin-Baylor picked up a pair of runs in the third inning to tie the game at 2-2. Justin Champion doubled in Dean Shirley and Billy Moore, who had reached on back-to-back two-out walks, the only of the night for Foreman.

Michael Simpson gave the Cowboys the lead in the fourth when he singled and moved to third on a throwing error by pitcher Kyle Furrer, who was trying to pick Simpson off first. Brady Coke drove him in with a single back up the middle that glanced of Furrer.

In the seventh the Cowboys added four insurance runs. Janisse singled to left, his fourth straight hit in the game, and Andy Harrington followed with a single to right. Michael Popino was then hit by a pitch and Janisse and Harrington scored on back-to-back wild pitches by Furrer. Popino scored on a Simpson ground out. Simpson moved up on an error and scored on a Brad Coleman single down the right field line.

Foreman moved to 5-2 with the win. He allowed just two runs and scattered eight hits, while striking out 11. Furrer took the loss for the Crusaders.

Janisse had four hits in five trips with two runs scored and two RBIs. Coleman and Coke each had three hits and an RBI in four at-bats. No Crusader had no more than one hit.

HSU is now 17-11 overall and 9-4 in ASC West play. UMHB fell to 14-13, 7-6. The two teams will play a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Friday.