LONGVIEW, Texas – McMurry University Baseball improved to .500 with a win in its series opener against LeTourneau on Friday, opening a three-game American Southwest Conference set with a 6-3 victory in Longview, Texas.
The War Hawks (7-7, 4-6 ASC) evened up its season record with a wire-to-wire victory, taking the lead in the opening frame and never looking back. McMurry scored four runs in the first two innings and allowed just three the entire game.
Senior Derek Hostas earned his second straight win, twirling 5.0 innings with just two runs allowed. The reigning ASC Co-Pitcher of the Week worked around four hits, four walks and three hit batters to strike out six and strand 12 YellowJackets on base.
Hostas, an Iowa Park, Texas native, was relieved by another pitcher from his hometown in sophomore Braxton Briones. Briones finished things off with 4.0 fulling innings, allowing just one unearned run and two hits to slam the door. He also had two walks with three strikeouts en route to his second save this season.
McMurry had all the production it needed in the first two innings, as freshman Blaze Rickerson ripped a triple into left center and scored both Josh Dyer and Black Beach to open scoring. Two more crossed in the second inning as Beach singled home Dylan Abbott and Reed Hodges singled home Beach.
LETU scored two runs in the second and fourth to trim the lead in half, but hot-hitter Nick Hamel re-extended the lead back-to-back RBI doubles in the seventh and ninth innings. The senior now has 22 hits in the last nine games. Hodges scored both times on Hamel's hits.
The only run Briones allowed in his relief appearance came in the ninth, as a two out error brought home an unearned run and kept the game alive. With the bases loaded and the go-ahead run at the plate, Briones buckled down and forced a grounder. An easy flip to second by Beach to Javier Rosa ended it.
Hamel led the team with three-hits in five at-bats, plating two late runs. Beach added two hits, while Hodges, Dyer, Rickerson, Abbott and Casey Turner had one each. Rosa and Koy Carpenter each had a sacrifice hit. Dyer and Beach also got the job done on the base paths, combining for three stolen bases.
Hostas and Briones allowed just six hits all game – five singles and one double.
McMurry looks to continue its winning ways with a doubleheader to close the series Saturday at 1 p.m.
