ABILENE, Texas - McMurry University baseball closed the books on the 2017 season by splitting a pair of games with Concordia University-Texas at Walt Driggers Field. The War Hawks (13-27, 7-17 ASC) lost the opener, 8-1, but bounced back to win the nightcap, 7-6, versus the Tornados (26-14, 16-8 ASC).
In game one, it was McM which scored first when junior
Tyler Jenkins unloaded his team-leading seventh home run of the season in the bottom half of the opening frame. The solo shot made it 1-0, but – unfortunately for the host War Hawks – CUTX would score more often. The Tornados scored single runs in the second, fourth and seventh innings, sandwiching a two-run third and three-run fifth.
Jack Poe (3-6) took the loss for McM. Poe went 4.0 innings, allowing five of CUTX's eight hits and permitting five runs (four earned). Poe struggle with his control, walking six and hitting one CUTX batter during his stint.
No War Hawk had more than one hit in the game one setback. It was much the same story for the McM batters in game two, with no multi-hit results. However, while the War Hawks had six hits in both contests, the difference proved to be the fact that half of their hits in the second game were home runs.
McM's first run of the day came in as a result of an outfield throwing error by the Tornados in the bottom of the second. CUTX plated three runs off of McM senior starter
John Eric Cortez in the top of the fourth.
But Cortez got some help in the bottom of the fourth. With one out,
Payton Stokes popped a solo home run – his second of the year – to make it 3-2.
That score stood until the bottom of the sixth, when the War Hawks were able to retake the lead. Jenkins drew a one-out walk and, with two out, Stokes also walked. That brought up catcher
Blaine McRay, who ripped a three-run homer to right-center field to put the Maroon and White ahead, 5-3.
Cortez got two out in the seventh, but also walked four and gave up a pair of hits, exiting with the score tied 5-5 and bases loaded. Reliever
Aaron Donald came on and – with the sacks full – hit the Tornados Jake Valadez to force in the go-ahead run for CUTX, 6-5, before registering the final out.
In the home half of the seventh and with one out,
Jordan Speck slugged a ball deep to left that hit the foul pole for his first round-tripper of the year that knotted the game at 6-6. Then, with two out,
Matthew Chalk and Jenkins drew back-to-back walks. With firstbaseman
Chris Baker at the plate, a wild pitch allowed the runners to advance to second and third base.
Baker then punched a single down the leftfield line that allowed Chalk to cross the plate with what would be the deciding run.
Donald retired the Tornados 1-2-3 in the eighth. But in the ninth, CUTX made things interesting. With one out, a single put the tying run on base. Then, the Tornados' Bret Leiferman smashed a ball to the right side, hitting the baserunner for out number two. Michael Evan then lifted a foul ball that looked to be headed out of play. But McM's Baker raced to the barrier, extended himself over the short fence, and made a great "snow cone" catch of the ball in the tip of the glove's webbing to end the game.
Donald (1-0) was the pitcher of record for McMurry. He had 2.1 scoreless innings of relief work.
