Box Score
ABILENE, Texas –
Zack Hewitt pitched another solid game as the Friday night starter for McMurry University and the home team took the first of a three-game series in the American Southwest Conference West Division. Hewitt threw seven innings, allowed only two runs and struck out a career-high12 batters to move to 2-2 on the season.
At third place in the ASC West, McMurry moved up to tie with Texas Lutheran for second place after TLU lost to Schreiner Friday night, and both teams moved closer to the division leader, Hardin-Simmons after HSU fell to Sul Ross State.
Friday night, McMurry scored five runs in the bottom of the second inning and HPU had two errors in the field, and HPU's Billy Ray Cruz was only charged with one earned run during that inning.
Andrew Bell hit a run-scoring single,
Bradd Baker drove home a run while reaching on an error,
Michael Dibiasi hit a two-run single and
Jake Mullin's fielder's choice resulted in a run scored and McMurry jumped out to a 5-0 advantage.
Dibiasi added a sacrifice fly in the fourth to make the score 6-0 and Mullin hit an RBI double to straight centerfield for McMurry's final run in the sixth inning.
Hewitt took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Kyle Lloyd took a 3-0 pitch down the leftfield line for the Yellow Jackets' first hit. Then in the seventh, HPU scored two runs on an RBI single from Carlton Brown and Ryan Breeding scored on a balk for HPU's final run.
Hewitt was lifted after 115 pitches and seven innings; he walked three and allowed just three hits in the victory. Chris Maldanado threw the final two scoreless innings for McMurry and allowed just one hit and struck out one.
Cruz threw all eight innings in the loss and was charged with three earned runs, he walked four and struck out seven to fall to 4-4 on the season.
McMurry improved to 16-15 on the season overall and moved to 8-5 in the ASC West Division while HPU fell to 15-15 overall and 4-9 in league play.
The two teams will settle the series Saturday at 1 p.m. with a doubleheader.
