Belton, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team saw a comfortable lead slip away with a seven-run eighth inning as the Cru dropped an 8-6 decision to the University of the Ozarks Saturday afternoon in Belton. The loss drops UMHB to 15-4 overall and 12-3 in American Southwest Conference action on the season. The Eagles improve to 8-12 overall and 5-10 in the ASC on the year with the victory.

The Cru took a 1-0 lead on Cole Hill's RBI single in the bottom of the second inning. Ozarks tied the game with an unearned run in the top of the fifth, but UMHB seemed to take control of the game with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Chase Burrow singled home the first run and Hill added an RBI fielder's choice. Will Stafford singled home the final two runs to make it 5-1 Cru. UMHB pushed it to 6-1 on Burrow's RBI double in the bottom of the seventh before Ozarks exploded for the seven runs in the eighth. Alex Smith opened the scoring with a pinch-hit RBI single and Taylor Parker followed with an RBI double. A throwing error and wild pitch accounted for two more runs. The Eagles tied the game on Freddy Prince's RBI groundout, took the lead on Sam Shook's RBI single and added an insurance run when Smith was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The Cru went down in order in the eighth and ninth innings.

Riley Davis took the loss for UMHB to fall to 0-1 on the season. The Cru used five pitchers in the game, threw four wild pitches, hit two batters and committed five errors. Burrow and Stafford had two hits apiece for the Cru. Bo Thomas picked up the win in relief for Ozarks to move to 3-0 on the year. Shook and Andres Acosta had two hits each for the Eagles.

UMHB will return to action with a non-conference home game against Southwestern University at 6:00 PM on Tuesday. The Cru will then travel to Louisiana College for a three-game, ASC series next weekend in Pineville, Louisiana.