Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team took game one behind Chance Ryan's solid pitching performance, but a second game comeback fell short as the Cru split a doubleheader with U.T.-Tyler Saturday in Belton. UMHB won 3-2 in game one before falling 5-4 in game two to move to 3-5 on the season. The Patriots are 7-3 on the year following the split.
UMHB scored three runs in the bottom of the second inning to erase a 1-0 deficit in game one. Jake Ricketts walked with the bases loaded to get the first run home and Zack Whiddon added a two-run single to make it 3-1 Cru. The Patriots cut it to 3-2 on Jeff Kosta's RBI single in the top of the fourth. U.T.-Tyler would then load the bases in the top of the seventh, but Ryan struck out Tanner Sheets looking to end the game. Ryan (1-0) scattered seven hits and struck out eight in a complete-game win. Will Stafford had two of UMHB's seven hits in the game. Jordan Marah took the loss for the Patriots to drop to 2-1. Cayden Cunniff and T.J. Martin had two hits apiece for U.T.-Tyler.
The Patriots three-run sixth inning was too much for the Cru to overcome in a 5-4 game two loss. UT-Tyler took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Chase Burrow's sacrifice fly and Garrett Webb's RBI single made it 2-1 UMHB after one inning, The Patriots tied the game in the fourth and took a 5-2 lead with that three-run sixth. Jared Gobert's two-run single was the biggest hit in that frame. Heath Spencer scored on Zack Whiddon's groundout and Austin Greene scored on a wild pitch as the Cru cut the lead to 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh, but Matt Sheppard and Derek Miller set UMHB down in the eighth and ninth innings to preserve the win. Nick Bergmann took the loss for the Cru to fall to 0-2. Chris Florack and Robert Loewe led the UMHB offense with two hits apiece. Jack Barkley earned the win for U.T.-Tyler and Miller notched his fifth save. Kevan House had two of the Patriots seven hits in the game.
UMHB will return to action with a three-game series at LeTourneau University next weekend in Longview. The two teams will open the series with a 6:00 PM single game on Friday.