ABILENE, Texas – After dropping its season opener to St. Thomas (TX) on Sunday, McMurry University Baseball responded with two thrilling wins en route to a doubleheader sweep and a three-game series victory on Monday in Abilene.
The first game of the day was a Monday matinee, hosted at Abilene Christian University's Crutcher Scott Field at 11 a.m. McMurry won that game 3-1 for its first win of the year, evening the series.
The teams then moved back to Walt Driggers Field for the rubber match where the War Hawks took down the Celts in a high-scoring game, 15-12.
McMurry begins the season with a 2-1 record, while UST falls to 1-2.
Game 1: McMurry 3, St. Thomas 1
Freshman pitcher Braxton Briones was the star of McMurry's first win, making his War Hawks debut with 6.0 spectacular innings. He gave up just two hits and allowed just one run, which was unearned. He also struck out three without a walk.
That lone run came in the first inning, as UST jumped to a 1-0 lead. McMurry answered immediately in the bottom half as Javier Rosa was hit by a pitch and Reed Hodges doubled him into scoring position from the two-hole. Nick Hamel drove Rosa in with an RBI groundout to tie it.
The 1-1 score held until the fifth inning, as Briones kept the Celts at bay. The War Hawks would be the one to break up the tie, as freshman Blaze Rickerson singled home Blake Beach from second. Beach led off the inning with a single and stolen base, setting up himself as the go-ahead run. The hit was Rickerson's first as a War Hawks – making it a big one.
With a 2-1 lead after six frames, junior Travis Beauchamp relieved Briones and faced four hitters, allowing two hits but picking up two key outs. After striking out the second hitter, closer Nick Hamel entered and forced the final out to strand the tying and go-ahead runs.
After the seventh inning stretch, Beach once again made his presence felt in the lineup with a solo homer to left field – making it 3-1.
Hamel remained on the mound the rest of the way, earning his first save of 2022. He breezed through the eighth by retiring three straight, but had to work out of a jam in the ninth as an error and a walk allowed two to reach with two outs. Hamel buckled down and struck out the final hitter to slam the door.
Beach led the way with two hits and two runs, while Hodges, Rickerson, Casey Turner and Dylan Abbott each added a hit.
Game 2: McMurry 15, St. Thomas 12 (7 innings)
Despite the series finale having the shortest amount of innings, it packed in the most fire power. The War Hawks plated 11 runs in the second inning alone and never lost the lead again, securing the series with a 15-12 win.
The 15 runs are the second most McMurry has scored in the last three seasons. The most came in 2021 against UT Dallas with 20.
Four players had multi-hit games, this time led by freshman Casey Turner with a 3-for-4 day. All three of his hits were doubles, resulting in three runs and two RBI. Blaze Rickerson, Nick Hamel and Blake Beach added two hits each and combined for eight RBI.
Much like the opener, St. Thomas started quickly with a run in the first. Leadoff man Kyle Bearden singled, then stole second and third to set up a sac fly from Jacob Carriere.
That lead evaporated quickly in the second inning, as McMurry put on an offensively display in a 30 minute long half inning. Fourteen players batted in the second frame, combining for 11 runs to take a double-digit lead.
Senior Ethan Schmidt walked to leadoff the second, then was doubled over by Turner. This set up Beach to hit the game-tying RBI single two at-bats later. Two walks by freshmen Xavier Escobar and Logan Mercer right after allowed Turner to score – making it 2-1.
From there, Rosa singled home a pair with the bases loaded and Rickerson moved two more home with an RBI triple. Hamel brought home Rickerson with an RBI single in the next at-bat to make it 7-1. Turner made his way up a second time, doubling once again to drive home Hamel and Schmidt. Two more scored later on a wild pitch and an RBI groundout.
St. Thomas began to chip away at the lead, despite trailing by double-digits, scoring eighth in the fifth inning to make it 12-10. In the end, McMurry proved to be too much with four more runs added in the final three innings.
Things got testy for sophomore pitcher Dylan Schafer as he entered in the sixth looking to close the door. In the seventh and final inning, Schafer forced two quick outs but then ran into trouble with three straight walks to load the bases. He hit Dylan Lamb in the next at-bat to walk home a run, but battled back and stranded the go-ahead run at the plate with a clutch strikeout – sending the crowd home happy.
Schafer earned the save, the second of his career, while freshman Chris Martin picked up the win. The debuting rookie completed 3.0 effective innings, allowing just two runs on three hits with no walks and two strikeouts.
On Deck
The War Hawks quickly turn their attention to conference play this coming weekend at Sul Ross State. The first two games will happen on Friday, Feb. 11 during a 4 p.m. doubleheader. The series finale takes place Saturday at 12 p.m.
