SAN ANGELO, Texas – For the second-consecutive game, the McMurry University baseball team fell victim to a ninth-inning rally, losing at Angelo State University, 4-3. The War Hawks (27-9) dropped the rubber game of the three-game season series to the Rams (29-14), as well.
 
McM had taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth inning. Kyle Sargent led off the frame with a single off of reliever Paxton DeLaGarza, who had just entered the game for the Rams. With Christian Simmons at the plate, Sargent went to second on a wild pitch before Simmons struck out for the first out. Patrick Adams then reached on a fielding error by the pitcher, allowing Sargent to take third.
 
With runners on the corners, Zack Hagan then lifted a sacrifice fly to center that plated Sargent with the go-ahead run, 3-2. Ricky Garcia went down swinging to end the War Hawks' half of the inning.
 
In the bottom of the ninth – and with McM still clinging to the 3-2 cushion – ASU's Cameron Massengill led off with a double to left center field. David Goggin singled sharply to right, with Massengill holding up at third.  That brought up Rams' pinch hitter Derek Tyner. Tyner laced a 1-0 pitch from McM starter Mitch Labbie to center field, driving home both Massengill and Goggin to end McMurry's upset bid, 4-3.
 
Labbie (5-1) suffered his first loss of the season, registering his third complete game of 2015. Labbie struck out five and walked two, giving up 10 hits and the four earned runs. He tossed 114 pitches in the loss.
 
Of McMurry's seven hits as a team, Ricky Garcia and Cody Howard each went 2-for-4 and scored a run.  Howard, Christian Simmons and Hagan each collected one RBI apiece. Howard doubled to open the McM third inning and would score on a Simmons single that broke the scoreless tie.
 
After ASU put up single runs in the third and fourth innings to lead 2-1, Howard's RBI in the seventh made it 2-2.
 
The War Hawks will host Trinity University – the No. 17 team in NCAA III – on Tuesday (April 21) at Walt Driggers Field (5 p.m.).