ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University used the longball to earn a split in the two-game series versus the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, pounding out a 9-4 victory on Saturday afternoon at Walt Driggers Field. The win improved the War Hawks to 14-4 on the year, while the Cru fell to 7-7.
 
Senior Mitch Labbie gave McM head coach John Byington another solid performance going eight innings, as he improved to 3-0 on the season. Labbie, who had the school's first-ever no-hitter in his last start, struck out seven and walked one in a more mortal outing versus UMHB. He allowed nine hits and the four earned runs, one each in the first three innings and another in the eighth.
 
For the 12th time this season – and eighth contest in a row – the War Hawks' bats ran up double-digit hit totals. Senior first baseman Cody Howard led the assault with a double and his third home run of the year (tying him for the team lead). He went 2-for-4 on the afternoon and also drove in a pair of runs, as he upped his team-leading batting average to .426 in 2015.
 
Zack Hagan, Mikal Hunter and Casey Berryman all went 2-for-4, as well. Hagan and Berryman and Berryman had two and three RBI, respectively.
 
Facing a 3-0 deficit entering the bottom of the third inning, McM had another of its patented big innings by sticking a five-spot on the scoreboard. Designated hitter Casey Berryman clubbed a solo homer to right field to leadoff the frame. A two-out single by Hagan later in the inning drove in another pair of runs to knot the game at 3-3.
 
Still with two out, senior outfielder Ricky Garcia used the strong breeze to right field and delivered his first home run of the year on the very first pitch from UMHB starter Kreece Cooper. That would prove to be the game-winning RBI, as the War Hawks wrested the lead from the Cru, 5-3.
 
The rest of McMurry's run total came in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Patrick Adams drew the second of his eventual three walks on the day. That brought up Howard, who smacked a 3-1 offering from Cooper over the rightfield fence to up the McM lead to 7-3 and chase UMHB's starter.
 
But McMurry was not finished in the fifth just yet. Reliever J.D. Perkins struck out Hagan for the second out. Garcia drew a walk, Hunter singled and Nick Marsh was hit by a pitch to load the bases. The Cru then went to their bullpen for Trevis Green to face Berryman. McM's senior designated hitter blistered Green's first pitch up into the prevailing breeze and over the wall in right, adding two more runs to the McM coffers, 9-3.
 
UMHB got another run off of Labbie in the eighth to make it the 9-4 final score. Ben Bates pitched a scoreless ninth in relief for the War Hawks.
 
The War Hawks will host the University of the Southwest on Tuesday (March 17) in a single game at Walt Driggers Field. First pitch is at 5 p.m.