ABILENE, Texas -  McMurry University's baseball team completed an American Southwest Conference series sweep of Howard Payne University, winning both games of Saturday's doubleheader – 7-4 & 11-1 – at Walt Driggers Field.

The trio of wins by the War Hawks (16-14, 10-2 ASC West) over HPU was McM's third series sweep out of four ASC series' this season. The wins also helped McMurry stay atop the ASC West standings with Concordia-Texas.

In the first game, Howard Payne scored single runs in each of the first four innings to take a 4-0 lead that chased starter Deen Coleman after 1 1/3 innings, as well as the War Hawks' second hurler, Jordan Mattke, after 2 1/3 innings. Both Coleman and Mattke were saddled with two runs each.

Derek Patterson came on in relief of Mattke to record the final out of the fourth, after inheriting a bases-loaded situation and two down. Patterson pitched a scoreless fifth to turn the Yellow Jackets away for the first time in an inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, McMurry rewarded Patterson's (1-0) efforts by plating five runs that would put him in line for the victory.

Marcellous Biggins singled through the right side of HPU starter Gilbert Barrera to open the fifth and moved to second on a wild pitch. A Brian Durst single put runners at the corners with catcher Bradd Baker at the plate.

Baker swatted Barrera's first offering down the rightfield line to drive in Biggins and move Durst to third. Kory Moench followed with a single to center that brought home both Durst and Baker. Ruben Zendejas rapped the fifth-consecutive hit of the inning, with Moench advancing to second.

Nick Marsh's sacrifice bunt put two more runners in scoring position. Dylan De Leon's single to right knotted the game at 4-4 with Zendejas stopping at third. Matt Thompson drew a walk and that was it for Barrera.

Ben Butler came on to pitch for the Yellow Jackets. Butler was greeted by an sacrifice fly from McM designated hitter Andrew Bell that brought in Zendejas with what would prove to be the winning run, 5-4.

In the bottom of the sixth, the War Hawks received some gifts from Howard Payne in the form of two runs which scored via two wild pitches that made it the 7-4 final.

Charlie Hejny, who came on in relief of  Patterson to open the sixth, picked up his third save of the season with a scoreless seventh to close out the day's first game.

Durst was 2-for-3 with two runs scored in game one.

There was less suspense in game No. 2 as War Hawk starter Jacob Dentoni took the sting out of the Yellow Jackets' bats. Dentoni (3-2) scattered six hits and allowed one run over his seven inning complete game stint.

Dentoni can thank his teammates' bats for the abbreviated outing, too. Schedule for nine innings, the game was halted in the bottom of the seventh when McMurry amassed a 10-run lead. The War Hawks' line score showed a single run in the second, followed by three in the third, two in the fifth, one in the sixth and a four-run seventh that would end matters at 11-1.

DeLeon belted a three-run homer in the third inning that proved to be the game-winning runs batted in.

Zendejas was 3-for-3 with a pair of runs. Baker went 2-for-3 and Bell rung up a 2-for4 effort in game two.