Marshall, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team used the same formula in both games and came out a winner both times as the Cru used a pair of big innings late to sweep a doubleheader from East Texas Baptist Monday in Marshall. UMHB won game one 7-6 and took game two 4-1 in ten innings. The Cru improves to 17-14 overall and 14-9 in American Southwest Conference play with the two wins. The Tigers fall to 15-17 overall and 6-14 in the ASC on the year with the two losses.
UMHB rallied with a five-run seventh inning and then held off ETBU's comeback bid in a 7-6 victory in game one. Tripp Reeves singled home a run to give the Cru a 1-0 lead in the top of the first and Chase Burrow added an RBI double to push it to 2-0 in the top of the third. Dynas Doud tied the game with a two-run homer in the bottom of that frame and the Tigers exploded for four runs in the bottom of the sixth to grab a 6-2 lead. UMHB opened the top of the seventh with three straight singles before a run-scoring error cut the lead to 6-3. Riley Davis closed the gap to 6-4 with a run-scoring groundout and another crucial error allowed two more Cru runners to score to tie the game at 6-6. K.J. Stark doubled home the go-ahead run before ETBU was finally able to get out of the inning. The Tigers loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh before Stark coaxed a pop out and a strikeout to nail down his second save of the season. Nick Hayman picked up the win for UMHB to raise his record to 2-1 on the year. Stark and Burrow had three hits apiece for the Cru in the win and Reeves and Rob Loewe added two hits each in a 13-hit attack for UMHB.
The Cru lost another late lead in the second game but three on the board in the top of the tenth on the way to a 4-1, 10-inning victory. Cole Haag's RBI single in the top of the fourth made it 1-0 UMHB, but ETBU tied it on a run-scoring passed ball in the bottom of the ninth. Loewe singled home two runs in the top of the tenth and the Cru added another run on an error. Cory Farr worked out of a two-on, no-out jam in the bottom of the tenth to raise his record to 3-1 for the Cru. Aaron Barteau struck out nine, scattered four hits and did not allow an earned run in eight solid innings for UMHB. Stark had four hits and Haag added two more for the Cru in the victory.
The two teams will close out the series with a 1:00 PM single game on Tuesday. The Cru's non-conference game at Texas Lutheran scheduled for Tuesday night in Seguin has been canceled. Following Tuesday's game, UMHB will return home to host defending conference champion LeTourneau University for a three-game series in the final home dates of the season this weekend.