PLAINVIEW, Texas – In its 2017 season opener, the McMurry University baseball team had the NAIA No. 20-ranked team on the ropes, before a late-inning explosion lifted Wayland Baptist University to the 11-5 win at Wilder Field.  The War Hawks (0-1) held a 5-4 cushion through 7 ½ innings, before the Pioneers (4-4) plated seven in the bottom of that frame.
 
McM sophomore outfielder Robert White started the season off on the right foot for the War Hawks.  White, McMurry's leadoff batter, slugged a home run to left field off of WBU starter Matt Flores in his – and the team's – first at-bat of the year.   
 
Two batters later, with one out, junior thirdbaseman Tyler Jenkins got an infield single. Chris Baker then walked, advancing Jenkins to second. Kevin Garza followed with a sharp single up the middle to plate Jenkins and give then War Hawks a 2-0 lead after on-half of an inning.
 
The 2-0 lead held through 5 ½ innings as WBU's Flores – who would finish with eight strikeouts over 6.1 innings – and McM starter Juan Valadez dueled. Valadez would finish with five "Ks" of his own, but hit the proverbial wall in the bottom of the sixth.
 
In that at-bat, the Pioneers got a pair of extra base hits, while Valadez also hit one batter. The big blow was a three-run homer by Ernesto Lizardi to put the hosts on top, 3-2.
 
Unfazed, McMurry answered in the top of the seventh. With one out, Noah Clarkson drew a walk and went to second when Taylor Ward was hit by a pitch. That was all for Flores, as Collin Isbell took the mound.
 
Isbell faced White and got the McM outfielder to fly out to right, but allowing Clarkson to move up to third base and John Pope II, running for Ward, remaining at first.  Former Wylie High School player Payton Stokes, playing in his first game for McM, promptly doubled to center, plating both White and Pope II, giving McMurry the 4-3 lead.
 
The Pioneers knotted the game at 4-4 in their half of the seventh, thanks to a sacrifice fly.
 
In the top of the eighth, Jenkins – who finished the game by going 4-for-4 from the plate – answered the bell.  Leading off the inning, Jenkins slugged a solo home run to left-center, making it 5-4.
 
In the bottom of the eight, WBU got to McM senior right-handed reliever John Eric Cortez for seven earned runs.  The Pioneers had six hits and utilized a pair of Cortez walks.
 
Besides Jenkins, White was the only McM player with multiple hits, going 2-for-5. All nine of the War Hawks' hits came from the first six slots in the batting order.
 
The same two teams square off for a doubleheader in Abilene on Saturday at Walt Driggers field. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.