MARSHALL, Texas – McMurry University's baseball team split its twin bill at East Texas Baptist University – losing the opener 7-2 and winning the nightcap 3-2 – to salvage a game in the series at Woods Field. The War Hawks are now 4-8, while the Tigers fell to 11-4.
 
In game one, McM was held to three hits in the game and just two runs. Both runs were scored by leadoff man Kevin Garza.
 
Garza opened the game with a single up the middle and went to second on a ground out. Chris Baker was hit by a pitch and Tyler Jenkins walked to load the bases. When Danny Perkins then took one for the team, after being hit by the pitch to force home Garza and give his team the 1-0 lead.
 
A pair of back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom of the second and a sacrifice fly in the third put the Tigers on top, 3-1. McMurry had its best chance to overtake ETBU in the top of the fifth, loading the bases with one out, but failed to cut into the hosts' cushion.
 
Any hopes for a late comeback in the seven-inning first game were dashed in the bottom of the sixth, as ETBU belted a grand slam off of McM reliever Will Dunlap (two runs were charged to Aaron Donald, who preceded Dunlap on the mound).
 
Leading off the top of the seventh, Garza slugged a 3-1 pitch over the left field fence for a solo homer. It was Garza's first home run of 2016, making it the 7-2 final score as the next three War Hawks were retired.
 
McM starter Benjamin Russell (1-2) took the loss. Russell worked 4.2 innings, allowed five hits and three earned runs.
 
Garza went 2-for-3 with one RBI. McMurry's only other hit came from Tyler Jenkins, who went 1-for-2.
 
 
In game two, Garza once again led off the game with a hit, this time with a double. He moved to third on a ground out and came home on Jenkins' single to right that gave the War Hawks a 1-0 lead.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, the War Hawks were once again snake-bit by the long ball. ETBU's Josh Warbington launched his third homer of the series, a solo shot that tied the game at 1-1. In the top of the seventh, McMurry was able to get back on top with a pair of unearned runs which were aided by two ETBU fielding errors, making it 3-1.
 
The Tigers got a runner in scoring position in their half of the seventh, with Warbington at the plate. But McM starter Garrett Johnston struck out ETBU's hot hitter and then induced a fly out to end the inning and avert the threat.
 
Johnston (1-1) – who picked up his first win as a War Hawk - was lifted by head coach John Byington after a strong seven innings, calling on relief specialist Ricky Lopez. Johnston scattered four hits and allowed the one earned run. He struck out three batters and did not issue a walk.
 
After retiring the first two batters her faced, Lopez then allowed a solo homer to ETBU's Tyler Bates on a 3-2 pitch, which also cut the McM lead to 3-2 as well. Lopez then got a strike out looking to end the frame.
 
After McM was retired 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth, freshman Juan Valadez was brought in to hold off the Tigers. An error by McM third baseman Jordan Speck allowed the leadoff man to reach for ETBU. A ground out to pitcher moved the runner into scoring position with one out. A nice defensive play by Clarkson on a ball hit to deep short held the runner and got the second out.
 
That brought up Warbington once again for ETBU. Valadez got Warbington to ground a 1-1 pitch to third base for the final out of the game, earning him his second save of the season.
 
No McM players had more than one hit and Garza's double to open the game was the team's lone extra-base hit. Patrick Adams, Jenkins, Clarkson and Nick Moore all had singles for McMurry. McM left nine runners on base, while ETBU amasses five hits and stranded five runners on base.