ABILENE, TX – It was an electrifying day at Walt Driggers Field as the McMurry War Hawks completed a crucial conference doubleheader sweep against the Schreiner Mountaineers. The two victories not only showcased an explosive McMurry offense but also kept the War Hawks' conference tournament hopes very much alive, pushing their season record to 18-18 overall, and 15-13 in the SCAC. McMurry took game one 14-9 before dominating game two with a 13-3 victory.
Game One: McMurry 14, Schreiner 9
In game one, the War Hawks wasted no time getting on the board. After a scoreless top of the first,
Collin Bruning hit a double to advance
Beckham Paul to third.
Blake Risko followed up with a sharp single that brought both runners home, giving McMurry an early 2-0 lead.
The War Hawks extended their lead in the third inning when Paul scored on a Schreiner error.
The McMurry bats truly caught fire in the bottom of the fourth inning, exploding for six runs.
Kia'i Sylvester sparked the rally with an RBI single, followed shortly by an RBI single from
Tatum Black. The highlight of the inning came when
Beckham Paul launched a bases-clearing, three-run triple to deep center, extending the lead significantly before
Collin Bruning added a sacrifice fly to make it 9-0.
McMurry kept the pressure on in the fifth and sixth innings, adding runs on an RBI single by
Kaden Buske, an RBI double by Bruning, and a sacrifice fly from
Dru Ohmstede.
Although Schreiner mounted a late eight-run rally in the seventh, the War Hawks responded in the bottom half of the inning with a two-run double by Bruning to secure the 14-9 victory.
Braydon Durst earned the win on the mound, striking out seven batters over 6.1 innings of work.
Game Two: McMurry 13, Schreiner 3 (7 innings)
Game two saw the War Hawks' offense pick up right where they left off, delivering a staggering 12 runs in the first two innings.
In the opening frame,
Collin Bruning and
Dru Ohmstede hit back-to-back RBI knocks. Moments later,
Scout Smith crushed a two-run homerun to give McMurry an instant 4-0 advantage.
The second inning was a relentless offensive showcase as McMurry sent eight runs across the plate on ten hits.
Tatum Black,
Collin Bruning,
Dru Ohmstede, and
Scout Smith all drove in runs early in the inning.
Jeremiah Enriquez kept the line moving with an RBI double,
Kaden Buske ripped an RBI triple, and Black capped off the scoring frenzy with another RBI single to make it a commanding 12-0 game.
Schreiner managed to score three runs in the top of the fourth, but Buske answered with another RBI single in the bottom half to finalize the scoring at 13-3.
Hagen Tate picked up the win for McMurry, allowing just one hit and striking out three over 3.1 innings.
Top Performers
Collin Bruning: Bruning was an extra-base hit machine across both games. In game one, he went 3-for-4 with three doubles and four RBI. He followed that up in game two with a 2-for-3 performance, hitting another double and driving in two more runs.
Beckham Paul: Paul was a constant presence on the base paths. In game one, he was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a triple, three RBI, and four runs scored. He added two more hits and scored twice in game two while also stealing a base.
Kaden Buske: Buske delivered clutch hits all day. He went 2-for-2 with an RBI in game one and followed it up with a stellar 3-for-3 performance in game two, which included a triple and two RBI.
Braydon Durst: Durst anchored the pitching staff with a strong start in game one to secure the win. He pitched 6.1 innings, allowing only four hits while racking up seven strikeouts to keep the Schreiner offense at bay for the majority of the game.
On Deck:
The War Hawks will next head to Sherman, TX, to play a doubleheader against Austin College, rescheduled from earlier this month due to bad weather, and then will wrap up the regular season at Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas, this weekend.
