CLEBURNE, TX - The McMurry War Hawks opened their SCAC Championship Tournament run with a tough matchup against the #3 seed Concordia at La Moderna Field in Cleburne, Texas. Unfortunately, a massive first inning from the opposition set a difficult tone, and McMurry ultimately fell 13-3 in a run-shortened seven-inning contest.
McMurry started the top of the first with
Tatum Black reaching base on a dropped third strike, eventually stealing third, but the War Hawks were unable to capitalize to take an early lead.
The bottom half of the inning proved disastrous for McMurry. Concordia's offense exploded for nine runs on ten hits. Starting pitcher
Braydon Durst struggled to find his footing, surrendering seven runs before giving way to
Brian Biggs, who allowed two more runs before finally escaping the frame.
The War Hawks tried to mount a response in the second inning when
Kia'i Sylvester drew a walk and
Diego Flores laced a single to shortstop, but both runners were left stranded.
Noah Solis took over on the mound for McMurry in the second and provided some much-needed stability. Solis tossed a scoreless second and third inning to keep the Tornados temporarily at bay.
Blake Risko also added a single for McMurry in the third, but the team still couldn't push a run across the plate.
McMurry finally broke through in the top of the fourth inning.
Scout Smith worked a walk and
Kia'i Sylvester singled through the left side. After a successful sacrifice bunt by
Diego Flores moved both runners into scoring position,
Beckham Paul launched a massive three-run homerun to left-center field. This blast cut the deficit to 9-3 and gave the War Hawks a spark of life.
Noah Solis continued to battle on the hill, working around a single and a walk to pitch a scoreless bottom of the fourth.
Concordia answered back in the fifth inning. A pair of walks and a wild pitch set up a two-run single, pushing the Tornados' lead to 11-3.
In the sixth inning, McMurry couldn't generate any offense despite
Diego Flores drawing a walk and stealing second base.
Concordia added two final runs in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single, though relief pitcher
Brady Henderson entered to record two strikeouts and end the threat.
Facing the ten-run rule, McMurry went down in order in the top of the seventh to finalize the 13-3 defeat.
Top Performers
- Beckham Paul: Provided the biggest offensive highlight of the day for the War Hawks. He blasted a three-run homerun in the fourth inning, accounting for all of McMurry's scoring.
- Kia'i Sylvester: Reached base twice during the contest. He drew a walk in the second inning, secured a single in the fourth, and came around to score on Paul's homerun.
- Noah Solis: Stepped out of the bullpen to eat valuable innings, throwing 4.0 frames of relief. While he surrendered four earned runs, he pitched a scoreless second, third, and fourth inning to help settle the game down after a chaotic start.
- Diego Flores: Contributed efficiently from the bottom of the lineup. He recorded a single in the second inning, executed a successful sacrifice bunt in the fourth, drew a walk in the sixth, and stole a base.
On Deck
McMurry heads into an elimination game against the winner of game eight between #2 LeTourneau and #1 Texas Lutheran later this evening at 7:00 p.m.
