Belton, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor lost a heartbreaker in game one before dropping a run-rule decision in the second game as the Cru was swept in a doubleheader by Concordia Texas Saturday in Belton. UMHB finishes the regular season with a 25-15 overall record and a 19-14 mark in American Southwest Conference play. Concordia Texas closes out the regular season at 27-12 overall and 22-10 in the ASC on the year.
UMHB stormed back from a huge deficit to send game on to extra innings before falling 9-8 in nine innings. Concordia jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the second with Colton Poindexter's two-run homer highlighting the frame. The Tornados added three more in the top of the third to make it 7-0. UMHB used Justin Dingman's RBI double to cut it to 7-1. Concordia added a run in the top of the sixth, but the Cru tied the game with seven runs in the bottom of the sixth. Chase Burrow was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to open the scoring, Rob Loewe scored on a wild pitch, Emery Atkisson singled home a run, Will Stafford hit a two-run single and K.J. Stark and Dakota Parsons added RBI singles. UMHB put runners on second and third in the bottom of the seventh but could not score. Concordia scored the go-ahead run on a Garrett Benyo sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth and the Cru went down in order in the bottom of that inning. Parsons and Tripp Reeves had three hits apiece and Stafford and Zack Whiddon added two each for UMHB. Aaron Barteau took the loss for the Cru to drop to 5-1 on the year. Corey Holmes earned the win in relief for the Tornados to raise his record to 2-1 and Concordia was out hit by UMHB 14-6 in the game.
The Tornados took control early in game two and cruised to an 11-1 win in a game shortened by the run rule. Concordia scored seven runs in the top of the second with Brandon Hollier's two-run double and Connor Bertsch's three-run homer doing the bulk of the damage. The Tornados scored two more in the fourth before the Cru scored its only run on Stafford's RBI single. Concordia pushed it to a 10-run lead with two more runs in the top of the fifth and UMHB went down in order in the bottom of the inning to close it out. Cameron Cox scattered five hits to improve to 7-3 for the Tornados while Nick Bergmann took the loss to fall to 4-5 on the year. Stafford had two of the Cru's five hits. Hollier, Poindexter and Estevan Hernandez led Concordia with two hits apiece.
Both teams will now advance to next week's ASC Championship Tournament. That tournament will be played Wednesday through Sunday on the campus of Concordia Texas in Austin. UMHB will be the #4 seed in that tournament and Concordia will be the #1 seed in that event.