AUSTIN, Texas – McMurry University Baseball challenged defending American Southwest Conference champion Concordia Texas in a twin bill to open a three-game series, with both teams taking one game on Friday in Austin.

McMurry (7-16, 4-12 ASC) led 2-1 from the first inning to the last, but a pair of late runs allowed Concordia (10-6, 8-5 ASC) to walk-off the series opener. The War Hawks atoned for this mistake in the nightcap, closing out a 3-2 win to even the series.

The rubber match will take place at noon tomorrow.
 
Game 1: Concordia Texas 3, McMurry 2 (7 innings)
McMurry started strong with a pair of singles by seniors Javier Rosa and Mike Gonzales at the top of the order, turning both hits into a pair of runs. Rosa scored on a fielding error in left field off the bat of Ryan Potter with nobody out, while Gonzales came home on a two-out single by Reed Hodges.

A solo homer by Bret Leiferman in the bottom half made it a 2-1 ball game – a score that would remain wire-to-wire up until the seventh inning.

For the remaining innings, senior Nick Hamel squared off against Concordia's Easton Migl in a pitcher's duel. Hamel allowed just one run heading to the final inning, while Migle allowed two runs before exiting after the sixth.

Daniel Lewis entered in the seventh for the Tornados and stranded a pair of runners on to keep it at a one-run deficit. This allowed Concordia to rally back, scoring the tying run on a sac fly and the winning run on an infield error in front of the plate.

Despite the loss, Hamel finished with a quality start, allowing two earned runs (three total) in 6.1 innings. He scattered three hits with one walk and three strikeouts on 77 pitches.

Javier Rosa had the hot bat for McMurry, totaling three of McMurry's six hits on the day. Rosa also added a stolen base. Gonzales, Potter and Hodges had the other hits.

Pitchers of record:
W – Daniel Lewis (2-0)
L – Nick Hamel (1-2)
 

Game 2: McMurry 3, Concordia Texas 2
Junior Derek Hostas led McMurry in another low-scoring affair, pitching 6.0 solid innings with one run allowed. Senior Sam Hillyer entered from the field to close out the final three innings, using 74 pitches to hold off the Tornados for a close 3-2 win.

In the final inning with McMurry ahead 3-1, Concordia threatened by loading the bases with two outs – one on a walk, one on an error and another on a hit by pitch. Hillyer walked home a run and put the tying run 90-feet away, but overcame a 2-0 count in the next at-bat with three straight strikes to fan the final batter.

The save was Hillyer's third of the season. He finished 3.0 innings with one hit and one run, unearned, allowed. He also had three walks, but five strikeouts on 74 pitches.

Hostas moved to a 2-3 record with the win.

The junior scatted six hits over his six-inning start, allowing three walks with three strikeouts. He threw 92 pitches in a gritty performance.

Meanwhile on the offensive side, McMurry scored all of its runs in the middle innings. With the bases loaded in the fourth inning – thanks to two walks and a hit by pitch on junior Christian Oliver – freshman Josh De La Rosa scored on a wild pitch for the first run of the game.

CTX tied things up in the bottom of the fourth with a sacrifice bunt while runners were on the corners, moving both runners up on the out for the score.

McMurry broke the tie in the fifth with the team's first multi-base hit of the day, as senior Nick Hamel landed one in right field to score fellow senior Mike Gonzales. He advanced to third on the throw and would come home on a Ryan Potter sac fly in the next at-bat to make it 3-1.

This score would hold until the thrilling ninth inning, where Hillyer silenced the crown with a tightrope save.

Hamel had two hits on the day, while Gonzales added one and was robbed of another on a diving play along the first base line. Junior Reed Hodges also had a late double for the team's fourth hit.

Concordia used a mix of four pitchers, with starter Calvin Bush going 2.1 innings and Colton Hunter taking most of the load with 4.2 innings. The pair had 12 of the teams 13 strikeouts.

Pitchers of record:
W – Derek Hostas (2-3)
L – Colton Hunter (1-1)
S – Sam Hillyer (3)