ABILENE, TX - On Saturday afternoon, at Walt Driggers Field, the McMurry War Hawks secured a thrilling 9-8 win over Hendrix College in a tightly contested conference matchup.
McMurry struck first in the bottom of the first inning. After
Beckham Paul singled and stole second,
Dru Ohmstede drove him in with an RBI single to give the War Hawks an early 1-0 lead. Hendrix responded with two runs in the top of the second, but McMurry quickly tied the game in the bottom half of the inning.
Kia'i Sylvester led off with a double to center field, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by
Blake Risko, and scored on a pitcher's error to make it 2-2.
Hendrix took control in the middle innings, scoring two runs in the third and adding another in the fourth to build a 5-2 advantage. The War Hawks began chipping away at the deficit in the bottom of the fifth.
Collin Bruning ripped an RBI triple to score
Tatum Black, and
Chase Lynch followed with a pinch-hit RBI single to bring Bruning home, cutting the Hendrix lead to 5-4.
The McMurry bats erupted in the bottom of the seventh to reclaim the lead.
Tatum Black scored on a fielding error by the third baseman to tie the game, setting the stage for
Collin Bruning. Bruning launched a two-run homer, bringing in
Beckham Paul and putting McMurry ahead 7-5.
Hendrix fought back in the top of the eighth, plating three runs on a bases-clearing double to retake the lead at 8-7. Refusing to back down, the War Hawks rallied in the bottom of the eighth. With
Noah Solis and
Kaden Buske on base,
Tatum Black delivered a clutch two-run single, scoring both runners and putting McMurry up for good at 9-8.
Cole Prasse closed out the ninth, striking out two Hendrix batters to lock down an electrifying War Hawks win.
Top Performers
Collin Bruning: Led the offense by going 2-for-5 with a home run, a triple, three RBIs, and two runs scored.
Tatum Black: Went 2-for-4 at the plate, delivering the game-winning two-RBI single in the eighth inning while also scoring three runs and stealing a base.
Dru Ohmstede: Finished 2-for-4, sparking the War Hawks early with an RBI single in the first inning.
Cole Prasse: Closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning, striking out two batters and allowing just one hit to secure the win.
On Deck
McMurry will complete their conference series against Hendrix College on Sunday, March 22, at 1:00 p.m.
