ABILENE, Texas – For the second-consecutive game, the McMurry University baseball team was snake bit in the final inning of a game, losing a 12-6 decision to Louisiana College at Walt Driggers Field. The 10-inning loss by the War Hawks (5-9, 1-2 ASC) to the Wildcats (9-3, 4-2 ASC) also gave the visitors the series victory in Abilene.
The two teams entered the tenth tied 6-6. But LC got to the McM bullpen for six runs in the top of the frame.
McMurry trailed early when the Wildcats scratched out a run in the top of the first. But the War Hawks got even in the second, thanks to an RBI single from
Matthew Chalk (2-for-4) that drove home
Noah Clarkson (2-for-4, 2 runs) to even matters at 1-1.
With LC ahead 2-1, McMurry had a four-run explosion in its half of the fourth to take a 5-2 lead. All four runs were unearned as the Wildcats made three errors and McM capitalized.
McMurry starting pitcher
Mike Gonzales took the cushion into the fifth, but was unable to get an out before being lifted. Gonzales had three walks and a single before giving way to
Chase Stone. Stone was greeted with an RBI single, struck out the next batter and then permitted a sacrifice fly that made the score 5-5.
Louisiana College added an unearned run in the seventh off of
Christian Vasquez, the third of the War Hawks' six pitchers used in the game. But Vasquez's teammates got the run back for him in McM's half of the seventh, after secondbaseman
Chase Bledsoe (3-for-6) reached on a leadoff single and went to second when
Tyler Jenkins walked. With two out,
Payton Stokes (1-for-4, run, RBI) slapped a single to left that drove in Bledsoe to make it 6-6.
Garrett Scudder (0-1) tossed a scoreless ninth for McMurry. But in the 10th, Scudder was tagged for six runs, only two of which were earned. A two-out, bases-loaded walk opened the floodgates, before
Scott Warner got the final out.
In addition to Bledsoe, Clarkson and Chalk,
Randy Crevier (2-for-5) and
Blaine McRay (2-for-3) also had multiple hits in the game. The Wildcats out-hit McMurry by a 15-to-12 margin, with Louisiana College getting the only extra-base hit (a tenth inning double) out of the combined 27 hits in the game.
McM committed five errors in the game, while LC had three miscues.
