ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University baseball matched the school record for fastest team to reach the 20-win plateau, thanks to its doubleheader sweep of the University of the Southwest at Walt Driggers Field. The War Hawks (20-5) topped the Mustangs by scores of 9-3 and 6-1, taking two-of-three in the midweek series.
 
The 2000 McM team also reached 20 victories in its first 25 games played.
 
In the afternoon's first game, sophomore pitcher Trevor Ragsdale evened his personal record at 1-1 with 5 2/3 innings of work. Ragsdale struck out two and did not walk a batter, giving up all six of the Mustangs' (10-25) hits. 
 
McMurry opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, thanks to an RBI single by Zack Hagan that drove home Christian Simmons. Simmons drew a four-pitch walk to open the game before eventually coming home on Hagan's hit.
 
Ragsdale's roughest patch game in the top of the second as USW parlayed five hits into three runs in the frame. With first and second runners, Koby Lewis lined out to Simmons in center and the McM outfielder doubled up Brandon Parsons who had strayed too far off of second.
 
The War Hawks would score in each of the next four innings. McM added two in the third, one in the fourth, three in the fifth and two in the sixth to provide the difference.
 
Ragsdale had two runners on base and two out in the sixth, when McM head coach John Byington called on freshman righthander Aaron Donald out of the bullpen. Donald retired pinch-hitter Chris Estrada to close the sixth and then tossed a perfect seventh to close out matters.
 
Hagan finished the game by going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI. Three of Hagan's hits were doubles.
 
Patrick Adams, Ricky Garcia and Mikal Hunter all went 2-for-3.  Adams scored twice, while Garcia and Hunter each crossed the plate once.
 
McMurry batters pounded out 13 hits in each of the games.
 
In the nightcap, McM had five players with two hits each.  The quintet included Simmons (2-4), Cody Howard (2-4), Hunter (2-3), Nick Marsh (2-4) and Kyle Sargent (2-4).
 
Hagan was 1-for-4 – with another double - but drove in three of McMurry's runs in the game. His ground-out RBI in the first inning put the War Hawks on top, 1-0.
 
McM freshman and Abilene Cooper High School grad Tyler Jenkins (1-0) got his first collegiate start and gave Byington a great outing. Jenkins went seven innings, scattering six hits. He struck out three and walked three. He allowed just one sixth-inning run that tied the game at 1-1.
 
Mike Hoffman came on in relief of Jenkins and got through the eighth inning unscathed. However, in the ninth, a pair of walks and a hit batter brought on Mitch Labbie to finish the game and earn his first save of the year. Labbie struck out the first man he faced and then got Anthony Boyle to ground into a game-ending double play.
 
McMurry broke open the game with a five-run seventh inning. The War Hawks sent nine men to the plate and produced seven hits. The big blows were a leadoff double by Douglas and Hagan's two-run double.