BROWNWOOD, TX - The McMurry War Hawks faced off against Howard Payne on Tuesday evening at Don Shepard Park. The final score was 5-2 in favor of McMurry, improving the War Hawks' record to 14-15 overall and 11-11 in the SCAC.
McMurry scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning.
Tatum Black drew a walk and eventually advanced to third base.
Jaxon Rhea hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Black, giving the War Hawks an early 1-0 lead.
Howard Payne responded in the bottom of the first with an RBI single, tying the game at 1-1.
The War Hawks regained the lead in the top of the second.
Chase Lynch and
Jeremiah Enriquez hit consecutive singles.
Kaden Buske then doubled to center field, bringing Lynch home. Shortly after,
Tatum Black reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Enriquez to cross the plate and extend McMurry's lead to 3-1.
Both teams remained scoreless through the middle innings. McMurry's pitching staff, including
Hagen Tate,
G'anni Cade,
Jeren Pena, and
Camp Churchill, held the opposition at bay. Howard Payne narrowed the deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning with an RBI single, bringing the score to 3-2.
McMurry extended their advantage in the top of the seventh.
Nolan Amerman hit a single and proceeded to steal second base. After
Jaxon Rhea walked,
Blake Risko singled to right field, scoring Amerman to make the score 4-2.
The War Hawks added an insurance run in the top of the eighth.
Kaden Buske drew a walk and advanced on a wild pitch. He later scored on a fielding error following contact by
Nolan Amerman, pushing the lead to 5-2.
Trey Gomez pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth inning to secure the victory.
Top Performers
Kaden Buske: Hit an RBI double, scored a run, and drew a walk.
Nolan Amerman: Tallied a hit, stole two bases, and scored a run.
Jaxon Rhea: Recorded an RBI on a sacrifice fly and drew a walk.
G'anni Cade: Pitched one scoreless and hitless inning while striking out two batters.
On Deck
McMurry returns to conference play when they open a home series with a double header against Centenary College on Friday, April 10th, starting at 1:00 p.m.
