Tyler, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team lost late leads in both games but rallied for a game two win to salvage a split of a doubleheader with U.T.-Tyler in frigid conditions in Tyler Saturday afternoon. UMHB fell 4-3 in game one before winning game two by a 6-5 score in 10 innings. The Cru is now 2-5 overall and 2-4 in American Southwest Conference play on the season. The Patriots move to 7-5 overall and 4-2 in the ASC on the year.
The Cru saw a late 5-2 lead slip away only to push across the go-ahead run in the top of the tenth then hold off U.T.-Tyler's rally in the bottom of the winning for a 6-5 win in 10 innings in game two. Chase Burrow gave UMHB an early lead when he singled home a run and later scored on a throwing error to make it 2-0 in the top of the second. The Patriots tied the game in the bottom of the third, but Zack Whiddon's RBI triple put the Cru up 3-2 in the top of the fifth. UMHB added to its lead on Dakota Parson's two-run single in the top of the seventh. Blake Bonnin singled home two runs in the bottom of the seventh to cut it to 5-4 and the Patriots tied the game on Logan Tucker's RBI double in the bottom of the eight. U.T.-Tyler loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Cory Farr came on to get two ground outs to end the threat and send the game to extra innings. Tripp Reeves led off the top of the tenth with a double for the Cru and Burrow singled home the go-ahead run. The Patriots would then load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 10th before Jon Franz came on to get a groundout and clinch the win for UMHB. Farr picked up the win to even his record at 1-1 on the year and Franz earned his first save of the season. Burrow and Parsons had two hits apiece for the Cru in the win. Three different players had three hits each for U.T.-Tyler in the game.
The Cru lost game one 4-3 after building an early 3-0 lead. Rob Loewe it into a two-run scoring error in the top of the first to give UMHB a 2-0 lead. Whiddon added an RBI single in the top of the second to push it to 3-0. The Patriots came back to tie it with a three-run fourth inning. Derick Smith, Sam Lane and Buddy McCoy all had RBI's in that frame. U.T.-Tyler would push across the go-ahead run on Garrett Nelson's leadoff homer in the bottom of the fifth, UMHB would get the tying run to third base in the top of the seventh, but could not score. Ty Johnson took the loss for the Cru to drop to 0-2 on the year. Josh Cruz and K.J. Stark had two hits apiece as UMHB out hit the Patriots 8-5 in the loss.
The Cru will now return home to host four games next week at Red Murff Field. UMHB will host DeSales University for a 6:00 PM non-conference game on Monday. The Cru will then close out the week with a three-game ASC series against Sul Ross State on Friday and Saturday.