Belton, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team grabbed an early lead only to see it slip away and a late Cru comeback fell short in a 5-4 loss to Rhodes College in the 2016 season opener Friday in Belton. UMHB is now 0-1 to start the year. The seventh-ranked Lynx improve to 3-1 on the year with the victory.

The Cru took a 2-0 lead when Chase Burrow tripled home a run and scored when Max Conway's flyball was dropped by Rhodes' rightfielder. The Lynx tied the game on a fielder's choice RBI and double steal in the top of the fourth inning. Rhodes took a 3-2 lead on a run-scoring error in the top of the fifth, but UMHB tied the game on Cody Stone's RBI single in the bottom of that frame. The Lynx took a 5-3 lead when Nathan Foshee's perfectly executed squeeze bunt scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning. UMHB cut it to 5-4 when Dakota Parsons doubled, moved to third on an error and scored when Scott Stephens' blooper fell in during the bottom of the eighth. The Cru put the tying run on base in the bottom of the ninth, but a double play ended the threat and the game.

Jacob Krzemien took the loss for UMHB to drop to 0-1. Aaron Barteau started, struck out seven and allowed just two hits and two earned runs in five innings of work for the Cru. Burrow had two of UMHB's 10 hits in the game. Blake Glauben scattered nine hits and struck out nine batters in seven and a third innings of work to move to 2-0. Jack Mercer closed it out for his first save of the year. Bill Munson had two of the Lynx five hits in the game.

The Cru returns to action with a 7:00 PM start against Pomona-Pitzer on Friday. UMHB will then play two more games on Saturday and a single game on Sunday as part of the Central Texas Weekend Tournament.