Game One Box | Game Two Box

ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University split Friday's doubleheader with Hardin-Simmons forcing a rubber match Saturday at Noon. The War Hawks used another strong pitching performance from Spencer Smith to take game one, 3-1. However, HSU battled back with a 9-6 win in game two.

The War Hawks needed to sweep the entire series with Hardin-Simmons and for Texas Lutheran to lose at least two in order to have a chance at second-place to close the regular season in the American Southwest Conference West Division.

However, the Cowboys' win ensured that McMurry would finish no better than fourth place and Texas Lutheran took two out of three games in its series against first-place Concordia-Texas to add insult to injury.

McMurry moved to 15-24 overall and 11-9 in ASC West play with Saturday's game the final matchup before the ASC Baseball Championship Tournament Round One begins Friday and Saturday.

The War Hawks will face No. 6-ranked UT-Tyler in the best-of-three series in Tyler.

The Cowboys moved to 27-11 overall and 14-6 in league play to clinch at least the No. 2 seed in the west, which would allow HSU to host a best-of-three series before the championship round of four teams. May 5-7. If HSU takes the rubber match against McMurry Saturday, it will clinch the No. 1 seed in the west.

Below is a recap of Friday's doubleheader.

Game One: McMurry 3 Hardin-Simmons 1

Spencer Smith won his third consecutive start throwing 6.1 innings and striking out six to move to 5-1 on the season as McMurry took the first game of the three-game series 3-1. Smith allowed only five hits, one run and walked two in the victory and Deen Coleman tied the school record with his sixth save of the season in the final two-thirds of an inning.

Coleman tied Byron Pierce's single-season record of six save set in the 1999 season. The War Hawks scored two runs in the third inning when Jacob Bermejo scored on an error and Jake Mullin doubled home Andrew Bell. Smith limited HSU to just one RBI single from Troy Tarrant in the bottom of the third.

The War Hawks added an insurance run in the seventh when Bermejo singled home Bradd Baker. Sam Walker pitched a complete game in the loss to fall to 5-4. He sacattered eight hits, allowed three runs, walked one and struck out five.

Game Two: Hardin-Simmons 9 McMurry 6

Hardin-Simmons battled back and put up a 5-1 spot through three innings, and the Cowboys were able to hold off McMurry's rally to win 9-6. Brian Weeks drove home four runs and homered while Taylor Berlin drove home two.

Matt Thompson hit two solo home runs for McMurry and Jake Mullin added a solo homer in the losing effort. Thompson's second home run came in the sixth and highlighted a two-run inning to help the War Hawks pull within one run at 5-4.

However, the Cowboys scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth highlighted by Weeks' two-run single and Berlin's two-run double to extend the lead to 9-4. McMurry scored two more in the eighth when Austin Brooks drove home two runs with two outs. However, James Simmons struck out Kory Moench with a pair of runners on to end the rally, and then the reliever set McMurry down in order in the ninth.

Zach Matthys took the loss to fall to 1-3 while Blake Sieck picked up the win for HSU to move to 5-1.