LONGVIEW, TX - It was a challenging day on the diamond for the McMurry War Hawks in their conference doubleheader against LeTourneau on February 21st at Conrad-Vernon Field. The YellowJackets took both games, securing a 7-5 victory in the opener and a 9-7 win in the nightcap.
Game One: LeTourneau 7, McMurry 5
In the first game, McMurry jumped out to an early lead when
Chase Lynch launched a solo home run to right field in the top of the first inning. War Hawk starter
Hagen Tate was dominant early, holding LeTourneau scoreless through the first five frames while striking out four.
The War Hawk offense padded the lead in the sixth inning when
Beckham Paul laced a two-run single to center, scoring
Collin Bruning and Lynch to make it 3-0. However, the YellowJackets responded with four runs in the bottom half of the inning to take their first lead. McMurry didn't quit, as Bruning delivered a clutch RBI single in the seventh to tie the game at 4-4. LeTourneau managed to pull away again with three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Lynch added a late RBI double in the ninth, but the comeback fell just short.
Game Two: LeTourneau 9, McMurry 7
The second game saw the War Hawks strike first in the second inning.
Kia'i Sylvester opened the scoring with an RBI single, followed by a two-run single from
Kaden Buske to give McMurry a 3-0 advantage. The lead was short-lived, however, as a tough third inning saw LeTourneau capitalize on defensive miscues to put up seven runs.
Trailing 9-3 entering the final frame, the War Hawks mounted a furious rally in the top of the ninth.
Blake Risko started the surge with an RBI double, followed by another RBI single from Buske. Lynch kept the momentum going with an RBI single to center, and
Angelo Volante later scored on an error to bring McMurry within two runs. Despite the late pressure, LeTourneau was able to record the final out, leaving the War Hawks just short of a comeback victory.
Top Performers
Chase Lynch: The offensive catalyst for the day, Lynch finished the doubleheader with 5 hits, including a home run and a double, driving in 3 runs and scoring 3 more.
Kia'i Sylvester: Sylvester provided consistent production across both games, tallying 3 hits and 2 RBIs while crossing the plate 3 times.
Kaden Buske: A major factor in the game two rally, Buske went 3-for-4 in the nightcap with 3 RBIs and a stolen base.
Hagen Tate: Tate turned in a strong performance on the mound in game one, tossing 5.2 innings and allowing only one hit while keeping the YellowJackets off the board for the majority of his start.
On Deck
Baseball will next play at Walt Driggers Field on Tuesday, February 24th at 7:00 p.m. against Howard Payne.
