ABILENE, Texas -   The McMurry University baseball team snapped its seven-game skid in a big way, knocking off the No. 12-ranked team in the nation in the NAIA, Wayland Baptist University, by a 10-2 score at Walt Driggers Field.  The War Hawks (4-9) banged out a season-high 16 hits in handing the Pioneers (15-3) just their third loss of the season.
 
The contest had a less-than-ideal start for McM.  In the top of the first, WBU's Gregg Veneklasen slugged a two-run homer off War Hawks starter Nick Hamel (1-0).  After a visit from pitching coach Brad Coleman, Hamel would settle down the rest of the way, going 6.0 innings and allowing just two other hits to the Pioneers during his stint. He struck out five and walked six.
 
Senior Aaron Donald threw three shutout innings of relief to earn his first save of the season. Donald permitted one hit, while striking out two and walking none.
 
For its part with the bat, McM got a run back in the bottom of the first. Mike Gonzales led off with a double to rightfield and advanced to third on a passed ball. Senior firstbaseman Tyler Jenkins then ripped a single up the middle to score Gonzales, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
 
In the second, the War Hawks took advantage of some sloppy defense by WBU – committing two errors in the frame – to score four runs, only one of which was earned. Payton Stokes and Jenkins each had RBI singles.
 
McMurry scored two runs each in the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, the big blow was a two-run triple by Robert White. In the sixth, catcher Chris Baker slapped a two run single up the middle that plated Jenkins and Hamel, who remained in the game as the designated hitter.
 
Leading 9-2, the War Hawks reached double-figure scoring with a solo run in the seventh.  Stokes crushed a leadoff triple down the leftfield line. Then, with one out, Gonzales cracked his second hit of the game – going 2-for-4 – to drive home Stokes, 10-2.
 
Three War Hawks – Jenkins (3-for-5), Matthew Chalk (3-for-5) and Baker (3-for-4) all had three-hit games. Baker and Jenkins each collected a pair of RBI, while all three scored once, as well. Stokes was the fifth player for McM to have a multi-hit game, with a 2-for-4 line, scoring three times and driving in one run.