Box Score
RICHARDSON, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' baseball team fell 11-4 to Belhaven in the first round of the American Southwest Conference Tournament in Richardson on Friday.
The Blazers' Nathan Herron was the difference in the game as he hit a pair of two-out grand slams on in the second inning and another in the seventh inning.
Both teams scored a gift run in the first inning HSU on an error and Nick Lucido had a sacrifice fly after a misplay.
In the second inning with two outs and no one on the Blazers loaded the bases with two outs and nobody on with a walk, infield single and a hit batter. Herron then came up and drove the ball over the left center field wall to make it 5-1.
Belhaven scored on a passed ball in the fourth and a Kyle McLaughlin RBI double in the fifth. Jett Forrest hit his 12th home run of the season in the sixth inning for the Cowboys.
Herron then came up with the bases loaded again with two outs and delivered his second grand slam this time to left field.
Gannon Azios had an RBI double in the eighth inning and Forrest brought home a run on a single an error in the eighth.
Brandon Girod received the start for the Cowboys and fell to 3-4 on the year allowing six earned runs in four and two-third innings. Kolten Kitchens, Kadin Croak and Caleb Smith worked in relief for the Cowboys. Harris Coleman went the distance and allowed only two earned runs in nine innings to improve to 6-5 on the year.
Forrest led the Cowboys with three hits and Garrett Frazier added two. Herron and Kyle McLaughlin had three hits each for the Blazers.
HSU is 21-21 on the year and will play Concordia with its season on the line at 10 a.m. on Saturday. HSU would play again at 4 p.m. with a win on Saturday morning. Belhaven improved to 27-14 overall and will face UT Dallas on Saturday.
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