ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University baseball made a late-inning rally, but fell short in a 9-7 loss to East Texas Baptist University in the opener of a three-game series at Walt Driggers Field.  The two teams will play a Saturday doubleheader, beginning at 1 p.m., to complete the set.
 
Senior lefty Rody Johnson (1-1) got his first start of the season, going 5.1 innings.  Johnson got through the first inning unscathed, but yielded single runs in the second and third, two in the fourth and one run each in the fifth and sixth frames before exiting. He had three strikeouts and did not walk a batter, allowing nine of the Tigers' (17-14, 8-8 ASC) 13 hits.
 
Fellow senior Aaron Donald went the final 3.2 innings. He was charged with three runs, just one of which was earned.
 
Leadoff man Kyle Keever opened the War Hawks' (8-21, 3-13 ASC) first at-bats with a double to right-centerfield. Keever eventually scored on a wild pitch by ETBU's pitcher of record, Blaine Parker (4-2).
 
In the McMurry half of the third, Jordan Speck drilled a one-out triple off the rightfield wall. Speck would come home one batter later on Keever's ground out to short, making it 2-2.
 
After the Tigers went up 4-2 in the top of the fourth, McMurry wrested back the advantage in their turn at the plate that inning. With one out, senior designated hitter Chris Baker slugged his first home run of the year with a blast to left. Catcher Blaine McRay then reached on a two-base throwing error from thirdbase. Rightfielder Mike Gonzales then pounded his first homer of 2018, putting the War Hawks ahead, 5-4.
 
But McMurry's offense went dry from the fifth through eighth innings. By the bottom of the ninth, McM found itself facing a 9-5 deficit.
 
With two out in the ninth, the War Hawks mounted another of its late rallies. Four consecutive singles by Speck, Keever, pinch hitter Noah Clarkson and Tyler Jenkins resulted in two runs, with Keever and Jenkins earning the RBI. Baker line out sharply to third to end the game and McM's comeback hopes.