Alpine, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team scored early and often in both games in a pair of slugfest wins as the Cru swept a doubleheader from Sul Ross State Saturday afternoon in Alpine. UMHB won game one 14-10 and took a 12-1, run-rule victory in game two. UMHB is now 9-2 overall and 7-2 in American Southwest Conference play on the season following the sweep. Sul Ross State is 9-7 overall and 5-4 in the ASC on the year after the two losses.
The Cru opened up an early lead and then held on for a 14-10 game one victory. K.J. Stark drove in two runs with a first-inning double and scored on an error to make it 3-0 UMHB. The Lobos would tie it in the bottom of the first, but the Cru added four more in the top of the second. Zack Whiddon's sacrifice fly scored the first run, Rob Loewe doubled home two more and Heath Spencer added an RBI double. Sul Ross closed to within 7-5 before UMHB added four more in the fourth. Loewe scored on a wild pitch, Tripp Reeves doubled home a run and Will Stafford singled home two more. The Lobos pulled to within 11-9 in the bottom of the sixth but UMHB again answered with three in the top of the seventh. Loewe tripled home the first run and Stark and Reeves added run-scoring singles. Sul Ross put three on the board in the bottom of the seventh before UMHB ended the threat. Loewe and Reeves had three hits apiece for UMHB and K. J. Stark, Stafford and Chase Burrow added two hits each. Nick Bergmann picked up the win for the Cru to raise his record to 2-1.
Whiddon got the ball rolling in game two with a solo homer in the first inning as UMHB rolled to a 12-1 game two victory with the game shortened to seven innings on the run rule. Sul Ross tied it in the bottom of the first, but the Cru took control with four runs in the top of the second. Taute and Dakota Parsons both singled home runs and Whiddon added a two-run single. Taute and Stafford both drove in runs in the third, Stark and Taute drove in runs in a three-run fourth and Reeves and Stafford closed out the scoring with RBI hits in the sixth. Jordan Mattke threw a complete-game, eight-hitter for UMHB to move to 1-0 on the year. Taute and Stafford both had three hits and Parsons, Whiddon, Burrow, Reeves and Spencer added two hits each to highlight an 18-hit outburst for UMHB.
The Cru will play a non-conference game at Southwestern University in Georgetown Tuesday night. UMHB will then return home to host Mississippi College for a three-game, ASC series next weekend at Red Murff Field.