ABILENE, Texas – For the second consecutive contest, McMurry University's baseball team found the ninth inning unkind, this time resulting in an 11-4 loss to Sul Ross State University at Walt Driggers Field. The setback also meant that the War Hawks (3-6, 0-3 ASC) were swept in the three-game American Southwest Conference series by the Lobos (7-6, 3-0 ASC).
In the early going, however, it was McM making the most noise with single runs in each of the first three innings. In the first, it was firstbaseman
Nick Hamel's RBI double that played
Mike Gonzales with the first run of the day. In the second,
Matthew Chalk led off with a single and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by senior shortstop
Noah Clarkson. With one out in the third, senior thirdbaseman
Tyler Jenkins slugged his team-leading fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to rightfield.
Meanwhile, McM's freshman pitcher
Stephen Norrell was cruising along. That is, until the fourth inning.
In that frame, the Lobos tallied four times. To Norrell's credit, three of those runs came after a dropped infield pop up, as SRSU took its first lead of the game, 4-3.
McMurry got even in the sixth after
Blaine McRay was hit by a pitch to open the frame, moving to third on a Chalk single. A wild pitch by SRSU reliever Coleman Ramsey allowed McRay to trot home with the tying run, 4-4. That score stood through the eighth inning.
In the ninth, McM junior righty
Juan Valadez (1-2) took the mound and was able to retire just one batter, while issuing four walks. After the dust had settled, the Lobos had scored seven runs – three earned – and secured the series sweep over the War Hawks.
SRSU out-hit McMurry by a 9-8 margin for the afternoon. The War Hawks had a trio of players – Jenkins, Hamel and Chalk – all go 2-for-4 in the game. Jenkins and Hamel each had an RBI, while Jenkins and Chalk scored once each.
Norrell went 6.0 innings, allowed six hits and just one earned run. He struck out six Lobos and walked one.
The War Hawks will travel to Dallas Christian College on Tuesday (Feb. 26) for a non-conference tilt.
