Box Score
ALPINE - Sul Ross State snapped a 15-game losing skid to McMurry by defeating the visitors 2-1 Friday night at Kokernot Field behind the arm of Cody Kemmerling. The pitchers duel between Kemmerling and McMurry's Clint Johnston ended in favor of the Lobos with Kimmerling allowing just one unearned run and striking out six in the complete-game win.
The loss forces McMurry to sweep Saturday's doubleheader against SRSU in order to guarantee first place in the American Southwest Conference West Division. If McMurry wins just one game, it will guarantee a second-place finish and the opportunity to host a first-round tournament matchup.
Again, if McMurry splits Saturday, it could still take first place in the west if Mary Hardin-Baylor loses one of its three games with Howard Payne Saturday and Sunday. McMurry is looking for its first ASC West Division title since 2004.
Sul Ross hadn't beat McMurry since the 2002 season before Friday. However, two runs in the fourth would be all the Lobos needed to prevail. Javier Arrieta tripled with one out and scored on when Ryan Kassner reached on an error. Arrieta likely would have scored on the play regardless and his run was Johnston's only earned blemish of the night. Kassner later scored on another error to make the score 2-0.
In the fifth inning, Ryan Bennett doubled home Gerad Morris who had reached on an error earlier in the inning, but Kemmerling held McMurry's offense in check for the remainder of the night.
Kemmerling scattered six hits and walked only one to move to 3-7 on the year. With the win Sul Ross had five on the year and it was only the Lobos' second ASC West win of the season as they moved to 2-17 in league play and 5-28 overall.
Johnston evened his record to 4-4 in a solid losing effort. The Lobos managed just four hits off the junior starter; he walked two and struck out nine in the complete game.
McMurry fell to 23-15 overall and 13-6 in league play. The doubleheader begins Saturday at 1 p.m. Cody Curry (8-0) and Dakota Smith (3-0) are the expected starters for McMurry.
