KERRVILLE, Texas – McMurry Baseball was on the cusp of a season opening road win on Friday afternoon, but an eighth inning rally by Schreiner shifted momentum and resulted in a 12-10 win by the home-standing Mountaineers in Kerrville.
With the loss, McMurry (0-1) dropped its first season opener since 2017.
Trailing 10-5 in the eighth inning, Schreiner (1-0) turned on the bats and rattled off seven runs. Down to its final out, McMurry stranded the tying run at the plate.
Despite the defeat, the War Hawks saw solid production from top to bottom as all nine batters had a hit. On the bump, sophomore Derek Hostas also had a strong start on the mound, pitching 5.0 innings of no-hit baseball with just two unearned runs allowed. Hostas struck out five with two walks.
Juniors Javier Rosa, Ryan Potter, Kyle Keever and Jonah Bailey each had two hits in the opener, as well as sophomore Trent Lee. Rosa and Potter each had triples, while Lee added a double for his first career hit. McMurry outhit Schreiner 14-7.
Rosa, the team's opening day shortstop, started the 2020 season with a bang as he smashed a triple from the leadoff spot. Three at-bats later, cleanup hitter Sam Hillyer hit a two-out RBI single to score Rosa and give McMurry the early lead.
Schreiner scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the frame to gain the lead, but the War Hawks wasted no time answering in the second inning. Sophomore Trent Lee earned his first career start and in his first at-bat drove in the tying run with a fielder's choice. This grounder scored junior transfer Jonah Bailey.
McMurry gained the lead in the fifth inning thanks to another junior transfer, left fielder Ryan Potter. Potter singled to left field, bringing home catcher Justin Kutz to take a 3-2 lead.
The War Hawks found three runs in the sixth, extending the lead with Trent Lee's first career hit. Lee doubled to bring home Bailey for a second time, making it a 4-2 game. Two more runs crossed later on a Mike Gonzales grounder, as an error at second base allowed two runs to score on a failed double play.
The Mountaineers matched the three runs in the bottom of the inning, making things interesting with a pair of RBI doubles. Prior to the inning, Schreiner was held hitless by Derek Hostas.
The 6-5 lead would be extended in the eighth, as the War Hawks exploded for four runs on three hits on an SU pitching change. A single by Lee started the rally, as he and Rosa would score on wild pitches. Later in the frame, Potter scored Hillyer on an RBI triple and junior Kyle Keever singled home Potter.
Things took a turn for the worse in the bottom of the eighth, as Schreiner flipped a switch with seven runs. The Mountaineers totaled four hits and used two errors to spark the comeback.
McMurry will look to take the series in a Saturday doubleheader. First pitch is set for noon in Kerrville.
