BELTON, Texas – McMurry University Baseball battled the elements at Mary Hardin-Baylor on Saturday afternoon, suffering a pair of doubleheader defeats by scores of 5-0 and 10-9, respectively, in Belton.
The teams made it through 12 innings of doubleheader action before going into a lengthy weather delay in the top of the sixth inning of game two at 3:25 p.m. Play resumed at around 5:15 p.m.
The Cru (15-14, 8-9 American Southwest Conference) nearly made history in the series opener, as pitcher Jeb Zolman was one hit away from a perfect game in a 5-0 win. The War Hawks kept it scoreless through five innings before stumbling in the sixth.
The second game went better offensively for McMurry, as the War Hawks (8-20, 5-15 ASC) overcame a 4-0 deficit with four runs of their own before the lightning delay. Coming out of the stoppage, McMurry took its first lead of the day, but could not hold on in a tough 10-9 loss.
The War Hawks totaled a season-high 16 hits for the second time this week and third time this season.
Game 1: Mary Hardin-Baylor 5, McMurry 0 (7 innings)
The seven-inning series opener went scoreless all the way into the bottom of the sixth inning, where UMHB cashed in five runs to take a comfortable lead. They retired the side in the seventh to clinch the win.
UMHB's Jeb Zolman was one blemish away from a perfect game, as he had no walks and 12 strikeouts in a complete game shutout. McMurry's lone hit came on a double from senior Kyle Strickland in the third inning.
McMurry hung on for as long as it could behind the arm of junior ace Nick Hamel, who tossed a scoreless outing through five innings. It did not come easy though, as UMHB stranded the bases loaded in the first inning and reached at least once every frame.
Outside of the first inning, UMHB could never get past second base but finally broke through in the sixth with a leadoff single, a sac bunt to move the runner over and an RBI double to score the first run. Four more were added on RBI hits.
Pitchers of record:
W – Jeb Zolman (2-3)
L – Nick Hamel (1-3)
Game 2: UMHB 10, McMurry 9
The McMurry offense woke up in the second game of the series, matching its season high with 16 hits. It turned out to be too few, UMHB stole a devastating 10-9 victory to sweep the doubleheader.
McMurry took its first lead coming out of the weather delay, using a go-ahead homer by Sam Hillyer almost immediately after play was restored to make it 6-4. The War Hawks went on to score three more, but UMHB regained the lead in the eighth and held on in the ninth.
Behind 10-8 down to its final two outs, McMurry loaded the bases and moved station-to-station with a Mark Navarro RBI single. With the tying run 90-feet away and the go-ahead run on second base, UMHB forced a foul out and a groundout to swipe away the win.
The War Hawks were led by seniors Sam Hillyer and Ryan Potter, who combined for eight of McMurry's 16 hits. Hillyer had the team's lone homer, while Potter hit a pair of doubles. Fellow senior Mike Gonzales contributed three hits.
Junior Nick Hamel finished with an RBI triple, while Christian Oliver added a double off the bench. Javier Rosa, Josh De La Rosa and Mark Navarro also added hits.
Sloppy weather resulted in sloppy defensive play by both teams early on, as the Cru took a 4-0 lead in the second inning – all four runs scoring unearned. A leadoff error and a one out single allowed two runners to reach and eventually score. Two more crossed with two outs in the inning.
Despite those runs, junior Derek Hostas pitched an otherwise strong start, limiting UMHB to those four runs in five innings of work.
For his efforts, the McMurry offense returned with four unanswered runs in the fourth and fifth innings to tie the game. The first one came as UMHB traded two outs for a run with a double play, while the other three scored on a pair of errors in the infield.
This eventually brought about a lengthy lightning delay of almost two hours, but this stoppage did not stop the War Hawks from continuing its run.
Play resumed in the top of the sixth at 5:15 p.m. With a runner on, UMHB picked up a strikeout for the second out. Senior Sam Hillyer came to the plate just two at-bats into resumed play and smashed a go-ahead homer. He was the hottest bat in the lineup, going 4-for-5 with a homer and three singles.
The War Hawks made it eight unanswered runs in the top of the seventh, as Hamel tripled home Mike Gonzales and Ryan Potter doubled home Hamel right after to make it 8-4. UMHB made things interesting again in their half of the seventh, responding with three runs to pull within one.
The crushing blow came in the bottom of the eighth, as a three-run homer by UMHB's Hunter McQuary gave his team the lead and, eventually, the win.
Pitchers of record:
W – Alex Palczewski (2-1)
L – Sam Hillyer (0-1)
S – Trevor Ripke (2)
On deck:
The series concludes on Sunday at 2 p.m. This game was originally scheduled for Friday, but was postponed due to rain.
