April 15, 2006

Final Stats

BROWNWOOD, Texas - Hardin-Simmons received another solid pitching performance from Dalton Rucker and split an American Southwest Conference doubleheader with Howard Payne, winning the first game 7-2 and falling 18-8 in the nightcap, Saturday at Don Shepard Park in Brownwood.

Rucker won his fifth straight start. He went the distance and allowed just two runs, one earned, and struck out eight. His ERA over the last four games is 0.65 and he is 4-0 with three complete games. He has allowed just 18 hits and struck out 28 hitters in 27 and 2/3 innings.

Howard Payne scored an unearned run in the first and the Cowboys came back with a run in the second to tie it. The Cowboys loaded the bases for the first of four times in the game, but only scored one run. HPU came back with a run in the second to make it 2-1 on a Cale Thompson RBI single to right, the Jackets inning was cut short when Ryan Stepp fired out Chris Pucci at the plate.

The score remained 2-1, until the fifth when the Cowboys finally broke through. Ryan Stepp was hit by a pitch with one out and he moved up on a fielder's choice, Brad Coleman walked and Danny Ruth had a big three-run two-out triple to right center. Michael Simpson then singled in Ruth giving the Cowboys a 5-2 lead. Sellari had an RBI double in the sixth and Stepp had an RBI single in the seventh.

Ruth, Tre Sellari, Stepp and Simpson all had two hits for the Cowboys.

Game two was all Howard Payne. The Jackets scored six runs in the first and had eight runs and nine hits off of Cowboy starter Brian Arnold in one-plus inning. The Jackets pounded out 22 hits in the game, 16 of which were perfectly placed singles. Doug Wren and Andrew Atwell had five hits each and Atwell had seven RBIs for HPU.

The Cowboys were led by Ryan Stepp's two hits and two RBIs. HSU played every position player on the roster in the game, including two R.C. Waters and Casey Jones that made their HSU varsity debuts. Jones had a single and scored a run and Waters had a run scored.

HSU is now 22-14 on the year and 12-6 in league play. Howard Payne fell to 17-19 overall and 10-8 in ASC West action. The Cowboys are tied with McMurry for third place, one game behind Texas Lutheran and Concordia-Austin in the ASC West race. HSU plays at Trinity on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

--- HSU Athletics ---