Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box | Updated Season Stats

McMurry would have liked to sweep the series, but the team will have to settle for taking the series as Texas Lutheran split the doubleheader with McMurry Saturday in Seguin. McMurry took the first game 19-4 and then its rally fell short in a 11-10 loss in the series-capping game. After a Friday win, McMurry took won the annual series for the first time since the 2001 series.

The victories move McMurry to 4-2 in the American Southwest Conference West Division and the team has won 12 of its last 16 games. Mary Hardin-Baylor is sitting in first place after taking two of three from Hardin-Simmons and the Crusaders are a game ahead of McMurry in the standings at 5-1.

McMurry will play a Thursday-Friday series with the Crusaders in Belton in a series that could help either team in standing as they go through the remainder of the season. Thursday the teams will play a single game at 2 p.m. and then will play a doubleheader Friday beginning at 1 p.m.

Below is a summary of each game of the doubleheader Saturday between TLU and McMurry.

Game 1

McMurry 19 Texas Lutheran 4

Thomas Beckham's first at bat since Feb. 17 turned out to be a big one as he hit his second grand slam of the season in the first inning and later drove in three more runs to help McMurry win its seventh-straight game in a 19-4 win over Texas Lutheran Saturday afternoon.

McMurry posted seven runs in the first inning and continued pouring it on scoring in each of the first six innings while the Bulldogs couldn't muster up any offense. Texas Lutheran's errors hurt  them in the first inning; by the time Beckham came up to the plate with the bases loaded, TLU starter Vincent Segura should have been out of the inning.

However, Beckham hit a deep fly opposite field over the scoreboard in right field for his second homer of the season. Beckham also hit a grand slam in the first game of the season in a loss to Chapman University. Beckham's seven RBI is a  team season high and was one off the school record of eight. The senior catcher had missed the previous 15 games with a hamstring injury.

Leadoff hitter Steven Yurchick had three RBI in the game while Ryan Bennett, Brent Voorhees, Lance Jones, Gerad Morris and Nate Love all drove in one run apiece. Voorhees' RBI came on a solo home run, which gave him seven for the season.

Cody Curry moved to 4-0 on the season pitching seven innings and striking out eight in the victory. The junior starter gave up 13 hits, four runs (three earned) and walked three in the complete game.

TLU's Segura lasted just three batters into the second inning where he didn't record an out and moved to 1-3 on the season.

Game 2

Texas Lutheran 11 McMurry 10

After jumping out early on TLU in each of the first two games, the third game was no different for McMurry as it attempted its first ever sweep over the Bulldogs. However, after scoring three runs in the first and rallying back in the eighth, TLU took the series cap 11-10 Saturday to avoid the sweep.

Steven Yurchick doubled to start out the game for McMurry and came around to score on a throwing error. Later, Brent Voorhees singled home a run and Stephen Derrick scored Derek David on a sacrifice fly.

However, TLU scored one run in the second off a solo home run by Joseph Brade and then pounded in five runs in the third thanks to a Chris Green grand slam off McMurry starter Arnold Toombs. Then TLU put up three more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning before Aaron Wood came into relieve Toombs with McMurry trailing 9-4.

McMurry put up a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to cut the lead to 9-7. However, the Bulldogs added another run in the sixth to give them a 3-run advantage.

In the eighth, McMurry continued mounting its comeback. Brent Voorhees singled home Nate Love and later with two outs, Derrick doubled home two runs to knot the score at 10. But in the bottom of the eighth, TLU scored a runner from second base on an errant throw by Love and re-gained the lead 11-10.

Gerad Morris was hit by a pitch to leadoff the top of the ninth for McMurry and then was moved to second base on a sacrifice fly by Jeff Jackson. However, McMurry couldn't get Morris home and TLU took the series finale.

McMurry reliever was charged with the loss, though the only run he surrendered came on the error in the eighth. TLU's Robert Conley picked up the win to move to 1-0 on the season for the Bulldogs.

TLU moved to 10-12 overall and the three-time defending ASC West Champs are struggling out of the gate with a 2-4 mark in league play.