Belton, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team grabbed an early lead and then held on for a 10-6 victory over the University of the Ozarks in game two as the Cru salvaged a doubleheader split with the Eagles Saturday in Belton. Ozarks won the first game 1-0. UMHB is now 8-12 overall and 3-5 in American Southwest Conference play on the season. The Eagles are 8-9 overall and 3-5 in the ASC on the year.
The Cru put three runs on the board in both the first and second innings and cruised to that 10-6 game two win. After Ozarks took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, an Eagle error allowed three runs to score in the bottom of the frame to give UMHB a 3-1 edge. Dakota Parsons singled home two more runs in the bottom of the second and Chase Burrow added an RBI squeeze bunt to stretch it to 6-1. Parsons added an RBI single in the fourth and Riley Davis had an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth as the Eagles put up single runs in the fifth and sixth. The Cru added two more in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly and Caleb Davis RBI single for a 10-3 lead. Ozarks added three runs in the top of the eighth, but would not get any closer. Seth Hill picked up the win for UMHB to move to 2-3 with seven solid innings of work. Parsons and Riley Davis had three hits apiece for the Cru while Caleb Davis and Will Stafford added two hits apiece. Andrew Beck and Fielder Dufrene had three hits each for Ozarks and Jacob Barker took the loss to drop to 1-2 on the year.
The Cru lost a heartbreaker in a 1-0 pitcher's duel in game one. Ozarks scored the game's only run when Beck singled, moved up on a groundout and came around to score on a pair of wild pitches in the top of the fourth inning. UMHB put the tying run on third base in the bottom of the sixth when Stafford doubled with one out and moved up on a ground ball, but the Cru could not get a run home. Connor Heussner (1-2) took the loss for UMHB despite giving up just one run on four hits in five innings of work. Brady Taylor threw a complete game three-hitter for the Eagles to improve to 2-1 on the year. Stafford had two of the Cru's three hits. Beck had three of Ozarks' five hits in the contest.
The two teams will close out the series with a 2:00 PM single game on Sunday. The Cru will then continue its home stand with a three-game conference series against Sul Ross State next week. The two teams will open the series with a 4:00 PM doubleheader on Thursday before closing out the week with a 1:00 PM single game on Friday at Red Murff Field.