ABILENE, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' baseball team split a doubleheader with St. Thomas on Saturday afternoon at Hunter Field, falling 6-3 in the first game before taking the nightcap 5-4 to win the season-opening series.
In the first game, the Celts jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the third inning. The Cowboys scored a run on an RBI groundout by
Jacob Hollingsworth and another run on a balk to narrow the deficit to 5-2 in the fifth. HSU added another run in the sixth on a Baylan Vaughn RBI single through the left side in the sixth and had runners at second and third but couldn't get them in to tie the game.
UST added a run in the seventh and closed it out to even the series.
Brock Calvillo led the Cowboys with three of their eight hits in the contest.
Brian Craig earned the win and Jacob Mead the save for UST.
Alex Carte and was solid allowing just three earned runs over six innings.
Jack Kimsey worked the seventh for his first collegiate action.
In the nightcap, both starting pitchers were locked in early. UST scored a run in the fourth inning after a double, groundout and wild pitch. HSU tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a solo home run by
Quincy McGraw, his first home run as a Cowboy.
The big blow for the Cowboys came in the fifth inning when transfer
Jake Trapani hit a three-run home run to give HSU a 4-1 lead.
In the sixth inning, Vaughan stole home on the back side of the run-down play to push the lead to 5-1.
UST added a run in the seventh on an RBI double by Alex Trinh and two more runs in the eighth on an RBI single by Jarod Smith and an RBI double by Eduardo Tamez.
In the ninth inning, UST led off reaching on a
Jacob Hollingsworth throwing error and a single put runners on the corners with no outs. Hollingsworth made up for the error when he snared a ball ticketed to left and fired to first for a double play.
Brady Bennett then got Gabe Garner to hit a slow roller to shortstop and Garner made a great play to cut him down to end the game, Bennett earned the save and earned the win in relief in the first game.
Jacob Posey went six strong innings allowing just one run on five hits to earn the win.
Ethan Riley worked an inning and one-third in his collegiate debut,
Johnny Follett worked two-thirds of an inning. Bennett worked the ninth inning.
Vaughan and Trapani had two hits each to lead the HSU offense. Trinh had three hits to pace the Celts. Kaden Bertrand took the loss allowing four runs over four and two-third innings.
The Cowboys are 2-1 on the year and are scheduled to play the University of Dallas at Hunter Field at 4 p.m., weather permitting.
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