Box Score

RICHARDSON, Texas – When a player pitches a complete game and gives up just one run, generally the expectation is a victory. Unfortunately for Spencer Smith and the McMurry University War Hawks, Concordia-Texas' Collin Butschek and Ryan Ullman combined for a complete game shutout and the Tornados took a 1-0 victory Friday afternoon to kickoff the American Southwest Conference Baseball Championship round of four.

The loss leaves McMurry looking to become the first ever ASC team to lose the first game of the championship round in the double elimination tournament and leave as the victor. The War Hawks will face the loser of UT-Dallas and Hardin-Simmons Saturday at 10 a.m. in an elimination game.

McMurry left nine runners on base and had six opportunities with a runner in scoring position and one out, however, the War Hawks offense could not deliver. McMurry had two key opportunities to score but found the door shut in its face.

The first came in the top of the fourth inning when Matt Thompson tripled with one out. On the next pitch, Andrew Bell hit a shallow fly to rightfield and aggressively, Thompson was sent home, but Kyle Bieschke's throw to the plate beat Thompson by several steps and he was gunned down at home.

In the eighth, the War Hawks loaded the bases with one out but Ullman retired the final two hitters of the inning with pop outs to the outfield leaving the War Hawks empty handed.

Collin Janssen doubled home Justin Beasley with two outs in the bottom of the first inning for the game's only run. It took Spencer Smith 28 pitches to get through the first inning, he walked two, but managed to keep the inning to just one run. From there, he retired 16 of his next 18 hitters and finished the game with just five hits surrendered and four strikeouts in the losing effort.

Smith dropped to 5-2 on the season while Butschek moved to 8-3 and Ullman picked up his second save of the season. Butschek scattered six hits in 7.1 innings of scoreless work, walked two and struck out none.

CTX will face the winner of Hardin-Simmons and UT-Dallas Friday matchup at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Notes:

• Thompson's triple was the eighth of the season for the sophomore, which gives him the school's single-season record passing former McMurry three-time all-American Albert Carrizales who hit seven in 2005. Thompson is one triple shy of tying the ASC record with one guaranteed game to spare.
• McMurry's game will air on KZQQ 1560 AM in Abilene Saturday and will stream with an audio only broadcast on mcmurrysports.com.