ABILENE, Texas – After a week of uncertainty, McMurry University Baseball was finally able to take the diamond for its first game of the year Sunday evening, slipping late in a 7-4 loss to St. Thomas (TX) on opening day in Abilene.
This week's inclement weather not only forced the teams to delay their season opener by two days, but also forced a venue change to Abilene Christian University's Crutcher Scott Field – a turf field.
St. Thomas (1-0) took game one with a strong eighth inning, breaking up a 2-2 tie with four late runs. McMurry (0-1) answered with two runs in the bottom of the eight, but were held at bay in the ninth.
The Celts took a 2-0 lead early with a solo homer in the second inning and an RBI single in the third, while retiring eight straight War Hawks. The ninth hitter was freshman Dylan Abbott, who cut the lead in half with a solo shot to left field for his first collegiate hit in his first collegiate at-bat.
Senior pitcher Derek Hostas worked through the fourth inning and was replaced by Jonathan Enriquez, who kept the score at 2-1 through five defensive innings. This allowed McMurry to tie things up in the bottom half as sophomore Blake Beach hit a triple and then scored on a balk.
Both teams left the go-ahead run stranded on second base in the seventh inning, but the Celts rallied in the eighth with four runs on a pair of leadoff walks and three hits, including two RBI triples. McMurry responded in their half with two runs, loading the bases and scoring two on an error by UST.
After adding one more in the ninth, UST turned to closer Kameron Craig. McMurry reached two with two outs, but stranded the tying run at the plate.
Senior Nick Hamel led the team with a 3-for-5 day, including a pair of doubles. One of his doubles led to the bases loaded situation in the eighth inning, where he came around to score from second on an errant throw during a double play opportunity.
Abbott went 2-for-4 in his debut, including the home run, while senior catcher Reed Hodges added a pair of hits.
The series continues tomorrow at 11 a.m. with another game at ACU's Crutcher Scott Field. The teams are hopeful to play a third game at 3 p.m. at McMurry's Walt Driggers Field, depending on field conditions. Updates will be posted at mcmurrysports.com and on the McMurry Athletics social media pages.
