ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University Softball nearly pulled off the upset of 4th-ranked East Texas Baptist Saturday at Red Bud Park, but fell to the Tigers in 10 innings, 3-2.
The War Hawks (13-25, 8-19 ASC) held a 2-1 lead entering the seventh inning, but the Tigers (36-4, 26-1 ASC) hit a leadoff home run to left to tie the game.
Using the international tiebreaker rule to begin the 10th inning, the Tigers got the runner to third and scored on a two-out error.
In the bottom half of the inning, McMurry loaded the bases with no outs after shortstop Mikayla Krause reached on a bunt single and an intentional walk to left fielder Kollin Morris. However, the next three batters were retired in order to thwart the War Hawks' rally.
McMurry scored first in the third, when catcher Nina Hernandez drove in a run on a squeeze bunt. The War Hawks nearly had more, but the liner off the bat of Krause was right at the first baseman.
After the Tigers tied the game in the top of the fifth, McMurry regained the lead in the bottom half of the frame when Krause roped an RBI single to center.
The War Hawks were walked six times on the afternoon and left 14 runners on base.
Hope Schoeneman pitched all 10 innings in the circle for the War Hawks. She allowed three runs, one earned, on eight hits. She struck out three while walking two. She got out of a jam in the third, after the Tigers had runners on second and third with one out. After a strikeout and a hit by pitch, she got a flyout to center to end the inning.
Krause had three of McMurry's four hits on the afternoon, with an RBI. Second baseman Sydney King collected the other hit and scored a run.
McMurry honored its four seniors, right fielder Summer Quiroga, first baseman Rachel Ripley, third baseman Adrienne Nairn and Hernandez following the game.
The game was also the last in the Red Bud Park era, as the War Hawks plan to begin play in a new on campus facility, Edwards Field, beginning in 2020.
