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ABILENE, Texas – Head coach Lee Driggers said after a Friday win that he didn't think McMurry was in the driver's seat. However, after a 9-7 win over Concordia-Texas in the winner's bracket games Saturday, McMurry will enter championship Sunday as the only team without a loss in the American Southwest Conference Championship Round.
After a 10-2 win over Mississippi College Friday night, McMurry faced the Tornados who beat No. 6-ranked UT-Tyler Friday and took the quickest route possible to the championship day. Stephen Derrick hit his second 3-run home run in as many days and Steven Yurchick & Derek David each hit solo home runs in the eighth to provide insurance for the win.
Cody Curry went 7.2 innings on the mound for McMurry picking up the win to move to 9-1 on the season. McMurry had a 7-4 lead in the eighth when Curry was lifted. However, Patrick Mercer knocked in a 2-run single off reliever Aaron Wood to bring the score within one run. Both runs were charged to Curry who finished with six runs earned on 10 hits, he walked four and struck out eight in the victory.
Mercer's single put a runner on first and second base with two outs and CTX's power hitter Tom Williams at the plate. Williams lined what seemed to be sure single through the right side of the infield, but McMurry's Steven Yurchick ranged to his left, dove to make the grab off one hop, picked himself up and fired to first base for the third out of the inning.
Yurchick led off after his spectacular play with a solo home run for his eighth bomb of the season and extended McMurry's lead to 8-6. Two batters later, David hit his nation-leading 26th home run of the season to give McMurry its final run.
The Tornados mustered up one run in the top of the ninth when Nick Cmerek scored on an errant throw with two outs. However, Wood shut the door by striking out Stephen Szkotak for the last out and Wood got his first save of the season.
Derrick's homer was a part of a 4-run fifth inning for McMurry. He knocked in David and Whitten after David drove home Yurchick. The four runs gave McMurry an early 5-1 lead. Concordia starter Ben Whitely threw 6.1 innings and allowed seven runs (six earned), walked one and struck out one. Whiteley started the only game the CTX won against McMurry in the regular season but picked up the no decision in the 10-9 Tornado win April 5.
Brian Wernecke had another solid game for Concordia-Texas in the loss. In Friday's win over UT-Tyler, he homered twice and drove in three runs; against McMurry Saturday he drove in four runs and added his third homer of the tournament.
The Tornados are forced to try and knock off nationally-ranked UT-Tyler again at 7 p.m. The winner of that elimination game will face McMurry at 1 p.m. Sunday and will be forced to take two from the hosts in order to take the title.
McMurry has played host to the ASC Tournament Championship three times before 2008. In 1998, 2001, and 2004 McMurry hosted and won its only three ASC titles in history, setting the table for McMurry to be 4-for-4 when hosting the ASC Championships Saturday.
Dakota Smith will start game No. 1 and carries a 4-0 record and a 3.42 ERA into the championship day.
