ABILENE, Texas – Ricky Garcia went 5-for-5 and Casey Berryman slugged a pair of home runs, leading McMurry University's baseball team to a 13-4 thrashing of crosstown rival Hardin-Simmons University at Hunter Field. The win upped the War Hawks' record to 15-4 on the year.
 
Garcia not only had a perfect night from the plate, he had a perfectly timed night at the plate.  In all five of the innings in which the War Hawks scored, Garcia was the leadoff single in four of them and had the first hit of the frame in the other.
 
McM started things off early. In the top of the second, Garcia slapped a single through the left side and designated hitter Ben Douglas drew a four-pitch walk. With one out, Berryman stepped to the plate and – with the count 1-0 – deposited the ball over the left field fence to give the War Hawks a 3-0 lead.
 
In the fourth, Garcia again got things started for McM with a leadoff double down the leftfield line. Douglas again walked and catcher Mikal Hunter reached on an error to load the bases. Berryman grounded into a double play that allowed Garcia to score and Douglas to move over to third. A Cowboys' fielding error permitted Douglas to trot home with McM's fifth run of the evening.
 
In the sixth, Gacia's infield single got things going for McM. He went all the way around to third on a wild pitch. Douglas then clubbed a 3-1 offering from HSU reliever Mike Richardson over the right field fence for his first homer of the season. That chased Richardson in favor of Sam Hallen.
 
Hallen retired Hunter for the first out, bringing Berryman to the plate. The McM senior smashed a 1-0 pitch from Hallen over the right-center field fence for his third homer of the year to make it 8-0 in favor of the visiting War Hawks.
 
Meanwhile, senior pitcher Lanny Zier kept the Cowboys at bay, finishing his night with six shutout innings as he improved his personal record to 5-0 on the year.  Zier scattered five hits, walked two and struck out five HSU batters. Zier lowered his earned run average to 0.56 with his scoreless skein.
 
Hardin-Simmons was able to mount its only offense in the bottom of the seventh versus McM relief man Ricky Lopez. Lopez gave up four Cowboy runs – the only runs Lopez has allowed all year – as HSU cut the margin to 8-4 through seven.
 
McMurry got all of those runs back, however, after Garcia slapped another double down the left field line and then stole third base with Douglas at the plate. After Douglas struck out, Hunter poked an RBI single through shortstop. Berryman, who finished the day with four RBI, singled to left and, after the ball was misplayed, both he and Hunter moved up an extra base.
 
Kyle Sargent was walked intentionally to load the bases, bringing Taylor Peables in as HSU's fifth hurler of the night. Christian Simmons promptly knocked a two-run single through the right side and, after a throwing error, Sargent also came around to make it 12-4.
 
With one out in the top of the ninth, Garcia drilled his third double of the game to the gap in left and moved up to third on Douglas' single to right. Hunter's sacrifice fly to right plated Garcia with McM's final run of the night, 13-4.
 
Mitch Labbie, who came on in relief of Lopez to record the final out of the seventh, also tossed a scoreless eighth.  Ben Bates had a scoreless ninth, as well, to nail down the victory for the War Hawks.
 
McMurry pounded out 13 hits in all.  It was the eighth-consecutive game with double digit hit totals for McM and 13th overall. It was also the ninth time McMurry has amassed double figures in runs this season, as well.