Longview, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team broke open a close game late to win game one but could not rally in game in a doubleheader split with LeTourneau University Saturday in Longview. The Cru took the first game 6-1 before falling 9-5 in game two. UMHB moves to 24-13 on the season overall and 18-12 in American Southwest Conference play following the split. LeTourneau is now 25-12 overall and 19-11 in ASC play on the year.
UMHB broke game one open late on the way to a 6-1 victory. Rob Loewe's RBI groundout gave the Cru a 1-0 Tripp Reeves had a sacrifice fly in the fourth to make it 2-0 UMHB and K.J. Stark singled home another run in the top of the fifth to give the Cru a 3-0 edge. UMHB then opened it up in the seventh with a two-run error and Stark's RBI groundout. LeTourneau pushed across a run in the bottom of the seventh, but that's as close as they would get. Seth Barrow (2-0) earned the win for UMHB with five and third innings of four-hit pitching. Aaron Barteau closed it out to notch his sixth save for the Cru. Will Stafford had two of UMHB's eight hits in the victory.
The Cru battled back from an early deficit, but could not muster a second comeback in a 9-5 loss in game two. LeTourneau pushed across two runs in the first and second innings to grab a 4-0 lead. UMHB answered with four runs in the top of the fourth on RBI singles from Chase Burrow and Heath Spencer and Ty Johnson's two-run single. The Yellowjackets then took advantage of five walks, a hit batter, two wild pitches and a passed ball to score four runs in the bottom of the fourth to take an 8-4 lead. LeTourneau added a run in the bottom of the seventh to push the lead to 9-4. Dakota Parsons would double home a run in the top of the ninth, but that's as close as the Cru would get. Parsons had three hits and Johnson added two as UMHB outhit LeTourneau 11-9 in the game. Nick Bergmann took the loss to drop to 4-4 on the year after giving up four runs in two-thirds of an inning. Six Cru pitchers combined for three wild pitches, three hit batters and six walks in the loss.
UMHB will now return home to close out the regular season with a three-game, ASC series against first-place Concordia Texas next weekend. The two teams will open the series with a 7:00 PM single game on Friday before closing out the weekend with a 1:00 PM doubleheader on Saturday. The Cru has already clinched a berth in the ASC Championship Tournament.