ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University's baseball team won its third-consecutive game with a 13-5 blitzing of Howard Payne University at Walt Driggers Field. The War Hawks (6-3) pounded out double-digit totals in both hits and runs for the third-consecutive game, as well.
 
On the afternoon, McM smacked 14 hits – giving the team 43 in the past three contests – and upped its run total during its recent win skein to 34. Eight of McM's nine starting batters collected at least one hit, with four players collecting multiple hits.
 
The attack was led by senior shortstop Kyle Sargent, who went 3-for-4 and scored three times. Zack Hagan, Cody Howard and Patrick Adams all had two hits, with Adams and Howard each driving in three runs.  Sargent, Hagan and Adams each slapped doubles, while Sargent tripled to open his team's three-run eighth inning.  Howard and Hagan also homered for McMurry.
 
Howard belted his second round-tripper of the year in then War Hawks' six-run sixth inning. Howard's three-run blast made it 9-0 in favor of McMurry.
 
Hagan crushed a long ball to left field in the seventh, giving him three-successive games with a home run and McM a 10-0 cushion. All three of Hagan's homers have been solo shots.
 
Meanwhile, McMurry starting pitcher John Eric Cortez ran his scoreless innings streak to 19 in 2015, improving his personal record to 2-0 with the win over the Yellow Jackets. Cortez tossed five strong frames and scattered four hits, striking out three and walking three.
 
Trevor Ragsdale (two innings), Robbie Schmidt (one inning) and Mike Hoffman (one inning) all pitched in relief during the blowout win. 
 
Adams and designated hitter Ben Douglas each extended their personal hitting streaks to five games versus HPU. For Hagan and Sargent, it was their fifth and fourth multi-hit games, respectively.
 
McMurry will next travel to Southwestern Assemblies of God University for a three-game series on Thursday and Friday.