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Box Score 2 MARSHALL, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' baseball team split a doubleheader at East Texas Baptist to open American Southwest Conference play on Thursday, winning 7-6 in the first game before falling 18-1 in the nightcap.
The win by the Cowboys snapped a nine-game winning streak for ETBU. The Tigers came into the game ranked No. 21 in the nation.
Game 1
The Cowboys rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 7-5 lead and held on in the bottom of the seventh for the victory.
HSU scored a pair of runs in the second inning one on a passed ball and the other on an RBI single by
Benji Fielder. The Tigers responded with three runs in the bottom of the second inning,
Quincy McGraw tied the game in the fourth inning with a home run for the Cowboys. It was his second home run of the year.
ETBU scored on a wild pitch and a Carson Livesay RBI single in the fifth to push the lead to 5-3.
In the seventh inning, the Cowboys loaded the bases, and a pitch hit
Justin Blancaflor to drive home a run and Layton White and Tristan Laughlin followed with sacrifice flies to give the Cowboys a 6-5 lead. Freshman
Cannon Negron added what proved to be a needed insurance run with an RBI single up the middle.
With one out, Luke Finn hit a solo home run for ETBU. Livesay walked to end the day for
Alex Carte for the Cowboys.
Johnny Follett came on and got a pair of strikeouts to end the game and earn the save.
Carte went six and a third innings and allowed six runs (five earned) to earn the win and move to 2-4 on the year. Jagger Neely started and went four innings for ETBU. Nolan Bushko (0-2) took the loss as he did not retire a batter in the seventh, allowing all four runs.
McGraw and
Baylan Vaughan each had two hits for the Cowboys and eight of the nine starters had at least one hit for HSU in a 10-hit attack. Joaquin Costa and Finn each had two hits for the Tigers.
Game 2
The Tigers came out strong in the second game with five runs in the second inning and eight more in the third inning. Ben Lea had a pair of home runs.
McGraw put the Cowboys on the board in the fourth inning with an RBI double.
Bradley Fletcher started and took the loss for HSU.
Gavin Boedeker,
Bowdy Shane and
Caleb Smith all worked out of the bullpen.
Vaughan and McGraw led the way with two hits for the Cowboys. Finn had three hits and drove in three runs for ETBU. Matthew Irwin went the distance for ETBU and earned the win.
The Cowboys are now 4-13 overall and 1-1 in league play. ETBU is 13-8 overall and also 1-1 in conference action. The two teams will try to play the third game at 7 p.m. on Friday and the fourth game will be Saturday at 1 p.m. Rain is expected on Friday.
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