Boxscore
BELTON , Texas - Hardin-Simmons had several
chances to get to Mary Hardin-Baylor started Jared Hopper, but he
worked in and out of jams over seven innings and UMHB put up six
runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to bust open a 2-1 game and
went on to win 11-4 in the opening game of at American Southwest
Conference series at Red Murff Field on Sunday afternoon.
The Cowboys set the tone early in the game when they loaded the
bases with nobody out in the first inning, but Hopper got a
strikeout and a dribbler back to him that he turned into a double
play to get out of the inning. UMHB followed with the opposite in
the bottom of the first. With two outs, Joseph Villegas singles and
stole second base and scored on a Derek Dreager single to center.
James Gage tied the game at 1-1 in the second inning with a solo
home run. The Cowboys then scored a run in the third inning, but
again left runners at second and third and less than two outs.
After that the Cowboys left a runner on second in the fourth and
fifth and in the sixth the Cowboys left them loaded.
UMHB broke the game open in the sixth when the first four
batters reached to chase starter Sam Walker (3-1). Draeger led off
with a double and tied the game on a R.B. Garza single. Josh
Frederick then made it 4-2 with a two-run home run and Seth Lynn
followed with a single. Michael Reinhardt came on in relief for the
Cowboys and he got the first batter on a sacrifice bunt and then a
pop up, but Marcus Volz and Andrew White each followed with RBI
singles. Villegas added an infield single to score a run and
Dreager had an RBI single.
The Cru added two runs in the seventh and hit a pair of home
runs in the eight to make it 11-2.
HSU left a couple more runners in the eighth and then in the
ninth the Cowboys scored a pair of runs on a bases loaded walk by
Michael Morgan and a RBI single by Jaxon Jordan. HSU then left them
loaded to end the game.
In all, the Cowboys left 15 runners on base and 11 of them were
in scoring position and also hit into two double plays. Hopper
earned the win with seven innings of two run ball. He struck out
10.
Matt Roam Roam had three hits for the Cowboys and James Gage was
2-for-2 with a walk, a hit by pitch and a home run. Villegas was
4-for-4 with two RBIs and Draeger was 4-for-5 with three RBIs for
UMHB.
HSU fell to 10-9 with the loss and to 2-2 in league play. UMHB
improved to 11-7 overall and 3-1 in league play. The teams will
close the series with a noon doubleheader on Monday.
--- HSU ---
