ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University baseball could not overcome a case of wildness by its pitching and suffered an 8-6 American Southwest Conference loss to Howard Payne University at Walt Driggers Field. The War Hawks fell to 11-21 overall (5-11 ASC) in dropping the opener of the three-game series versus the Yellow Jackets (16-12, 9-7 ASC).
 
McM out-hit HPU by a 12-7 margin, but suffered from its own miscues in the final tally.  Six of the Yellow Jackets' eight runs scored reached base by either walk, hit by pitch or error by the War Hawks.
 
The top half of McMurry's lineup had a productive night.  The War Hawks Nos. 1-4 batters collected eight of the team's hits for the night. Leadoff man Robert White No. 2 batter Matthew Chalk each went 2-for-4 and each also scored once. Both of Chalk's hits were doubles and he also drove in a pair of runs.
 
No. 3 hitter Tyler Jenkins and clean-up man Chris Baker were each 2-for-5. Jenkins had a double and a run batted in, as well.  Baker had a double and triple, while scoring once.
 
Payton Stokes – hitting in the six slot – also went 2-for-5, scored once and collected a RBI. Catcher Blaine McRay slugged his second home run of the year, a solo shot with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Jack Poe (3-4) absorbed the loss for McM.  Poe went 6.0 innings, permitting five hits and three earned runs.  Poe struck out four, but also walked three and hit four Yellow Jackets. Reliever Chase Stone permitted three runs (one earned) without recording an out in the seventh, before Jenkins took over the pitching chores from his designated hitter position. Jenkins was tabbed for two hits and a pair of earned runs in 3.0 innings of work.