ABILENE, TX - The McMurry War Hawks faced off against Hardin-Simmons on April 13th at Hunter Field. The final score was 9-5 in favor of Hardin-Simmons.
McMurry struck first in the top of the first inning.
Collin Bruning reached base on a fielding error , and
Blake Risko drew a walk to put runners on base.
Dru Ohmstede then lined a single to center field, bringing in Bruning to give the War Hawks an early 1-0 lead.
The War Hawks kept the momentum going in the second inning when
Kia'i Sylvester launched a solo home run to right field, extending the McMurry lead to 2-0.
Hardin-Simmons answered back in the bottom half of the inning, hitting a sacrifice fly to narrow the McMurry advantage to 2-1.
McMurry threatened again in the third inning after Ohmstede doubled to left center, but the team was unable to capitalize.
Hardin-Simmons subsequently took the lead in the bottom of the third, scoring two runs to make it a 3-2 game. The Cowboy offense continued to press in the middle innings, extending its lead with a three-run fourth inning. They added another run in the fifth on an RBI single, pushing the score to 7-2.
Refusing to back down, McMurry fought back in the top of the sixth.
Noah Solis crushed a solo home run to right field, trimming the deficit to 7-3.
However, Hardin-Simmons quickly responded with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to make it 8-3.
In the seventh inning,
Beckham Paul drew a walk and promptly stole second base to put himself in scoring position. Risko followed up with a clutch single through the right side, scoring Paul and cutting the Hardin-Simmons lead to 8-4.
The War Hawks continued to chip away in the eighth inning.
Tatum Black reached base safely on a fielding error and later advanced to third. Bruning then delivered an RBI single up the middle to bring Black home, making it an 8-5 game.
Despite the late rally, Hardin-Simmons managed to add a final unearned run in the bottom of the eighth to secure the 9-5 victory.
Top Performers
Dru Ohmstede: Paced the offense by going 3-for-5 at the plate, including a double and an RBI.
Kia'i Sylvester: Hit a solo home run in the second inning, providing an early spark for the War Hawks.
Noah Solis: Contributed significantly with a solo home run to right field in the sixth inning.
Blake Risko: Reached base safely twice, tallying a hit, a walk, and driving in an RBI.
On Deck
McMurry next opens a pivotal home conference series against Schreiner on Friday, April 17th at 7:00 p.m. at Walt Driggers Field.
