Belton, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team put together late rallies in both games and salvaged a doubleheader split with Howard Payne University Saturday afternoon in Belton. UMHB won game two 6-3 after falling 5-4 in eight innings in game one. The Cru is now 15-14 overall and 9-6 in American Southwest Conference play after winning the weekend series. Howard Payne is 15-12 overall and 8-7 in the ASC on the year.
UMHB scored three runs in its final two at-bats to claim a 6-3 game two victory. The Cru used RBI singles from Landon Dieterich and Ty Johnson to take a 2-0 lead in the first inning. HPU tied the game in the top of the third inning, but Mark Frankhouser's RBI single made it 3-2 Cru in the bottom of that frame. The Yellow Jackets retied the game in the top of the fourth, but Austin Blanford's RBI double in the bottom of the fifth gave UMHB the lead for good. The Cru tacked on two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth on a passed ball and a sacrifice fly. Aaron Barteau set HPU down in the bottom of the seventh to ice the win. Barteau earned his ninth save of the season to set a new UMHB Division III era single-season record. Johnson earned the win on the mound to move to 2-1 on the year. Dakota Best had two of UMHB's seven hits in the win.
UMHB rallied to send game one to extra innings, but a throwing error proved costly in a 5-4 loss in eight innings. HPU grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Frankhouser tied it with a solo homer in the bottom of the second. Johnson singled home a run and Blanford doubled home another to give the Cru a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third. Howard Payne retook the lead on Bailey Smith's two-run home run and a Cru throwing error in the top of the fourth inning. UMHB left eight runners on base before Johnson blasted a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the seventh to send it to extra innings. The Yellow Jackets took advantage of a Cru throwing error to push across the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth. UMHB put the tying and winning runs on base in the bottom of that inning, but could not push across a run. Johnson and Blanford had two hits apiece for the Cru. Connor Heussner took the loss to fall to 0-4 on the year.
The Cru will continue its home stand with a 6:00 PM non-conference game against Southwestern University on Tuesday at Red Murff Field. UMHB returns to ASC action with a three-game series at LeTourneau University in Longview on Thursday and Friday.