ABILENE, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' baseball team clinched a spot into the American Southwest Conference Championship tournament next weekend with a 12-9 win over Sul Ross State on Friday night at John J. Hunter Field.

The Lobos made the game interesting as they were fighting for their postseason life. HSU led 12-4 going into the eighth inning but Sul Ross State scored four in the eighth and one more in the ninth and had the bases loaded.

Shortstop Luke Kirkbride, who had a pair of errors in the eighth inning, made up for it to close out the game as he snared a grounder up the middle stepped on second and fired to first for a game-ending double play. It was the third double play he had started on the night and the Cowboys turned four inning-ending double plays in the game.

Caidon Livingston battled for the Cowboys on the mound working six and one-third innings. He allowed just two earned runs on eight hits and seven walks and improved to 1-4 on the year. Kolten Kitchens and Caleb Smith worked out of the Cowboy bullpen.

Sam Russell started for the Lobos and fell to 4-6 after allowing nine runs in two-plus innings of work. The Lobos with the season on the line went to another weekend starter Ian Craigie to settle the game back down and he worked three innings and Chris Ibanez had three innings of relief as well.

Sul Ross State scored a run in the first inning on a Carsen Thor RBI double, but Livingston got out of a bases-loaded jam with a ground ball to first baseman Sam Buchkowski who went home for one out and Jett Forrest threw back to Buchkowski for the double play.

HSU came out slugging. Corey Ballew had a two-run double in the first and Buchkowski added an RBI single. Another run scored on a wild pitch. After Sul Ross State scored two runs on an error that would have ended the second inning, HSU responded with three more runs. Weston Hickman had a two-run home run and Gannon Azios had a solo shot in the inning.

Nick Ellington and Buchkowksi had RBI singles and Azios a two-run single to make the score 12-4 in the sixth inning.  

Thor led Sul Ross State with four hits and Buchkowski had three hits for the Cowboys.

HSU is now 20-18 on the year and 13-15 in league play. Sul Ross fell to 13-21 overall and 10-18 in league play. The two teams will play a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

HSU will also have a groundbreaking ceremony for the Hunter Family / Powell Family Indoor Facility at 11:30, will honor the 1982 TAAC Championship team with rings at 12:40 and host senior day in between games of the doubleheader.

--- www.hsuathletics.com ---