Boxscore
ABILENE, Texas — Hardin-Simmons received a gutsy
effort from starter Tim Kriegel and the Cowboy offense pounded out
20 hits as the Cowboys defeated Texas-Dallas 15-11, Friday night in
the first game of its American Southwest Championship Series at
Hunter Field.
On a night, when the wind was blowing out at about 25 miles per
hour, the No. 1 and 3 teams in the nation in home runs combined for
eight home runs.
Kriegel (7-4) went threw 165 pitches and went eight and one-third
innings for the Cowboys. The stat line was not pretty as he allowed
13 hits and 10 runs (seven earned), but he bulldogged his way
through the performance to save the Cowboy bullpen for Saturday.
Michael Reinhardt got the final two outs for the Cowboys.
Neal Gordon had a solo home run to lead off the game for UTD and
the Comets added another run on a double play ball later in the
inning to make it 2-0. The Cowboys scored 10 runs over the first
three innings.
Regan Dixon hit his 15th home run in the first inning a solo shot
to right field. HSU came back with five runs in the second inning.
James Gage led off the inning with a double and Taylor Berlin
followed with a two-run home run to right. Matt Roam, Regan Dixon
and J.T. Armstrong had three straight RBI singles later in the
inning.
HSU made it 10-2 in the third inning. Brian Weeks and Roam each had
RBI singles with two outs and Dixon added a two-run double later in
the inning.
UTD came back with a pair of two-run home runs in the fourth. Matt
Kelly and Cody Ross had the home runs for UTD to make it 10-6.
Starter Mason Thompson led after the third inning for UTD. HSU
scored two runs off reliever Brad Buchanan in the fourth. With one
out, Berlin doubled and Mike Morgan followed with a mammoth two-run
home run to left center to give the Cowboys a 12-6 lead.
Johnny Martinez had a solo home run in the fifth and Jared Smith
added a two-run home run, his 20th of the season in the sixth to
cut it to 12-9.
HSU came back with a single run in the seventh when Dixon walked
and moved to third on a Armstrong single. Dixon then scored on a
wild pitch. In the eight Weeks hit his ninth triple of the season
that drove in two more runs to make it 15-9.
UTD scored two runs in the ninth on a two-run single by
pinch-hitter Jake Eisman.
Every Cowboy starter had a hit in the game and all but two had
multiple hits. Roam, Dixon, Berlin and Morgan had three hits each.
Dixon drove in four and Morgan scored four times.
Both teams are now 25-16 on the season and they will play at 2 p.m.
tomorrow. If the Cowboys win that game the series is over, if not a
third game would follow immediately after the first game.
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