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Belton, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team walked off with a game one victory, but never recovered from an eight-run fourth inning in game two as the Cru split a doubleheader with LeTourneau University Saturday in Belton. UMHB won game one 3-2 before falling 16-5 in game two. The Cru moves to 20-19 on the season following the split. LeTourneau closes out the season with a 22-16 record.
The Cru took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning of game one.
Chase Burrow scored on a throwing error. It would stay that way into the top of the sixth inning. LeTourneau tied the game on a run-scoring balk and took a 2-1 lead on a run-scoring wild pitch.
Chris Florack singled home the tying run in the bottom of the sixth, but left the bases loaded.
Heath Spencer led off the bottom of the seventh with a pinch-hit double and Burrow was intentionally walked. After a fielder's choice left runners at first and second with one out,
Zack Whiddon ripped a sinking liner to left center field. The ball skipped past diving center fielder Brent Sellers and Burrow raced home with the game-winning run to give UMHB the 3-2 win.
Chance Ryan earned the win to move to 7-2 on the year. He struck out four and scattered four hits in a complete-game performance. Whiddon and
Robert Loewe had two hits apiece to lead the Cru's nine-hit attack. Jordan Price took the loss for LeTourneau and Jay Lutz had two of the Yellowjackets four hits.
UMHB never recovered from LeTourneau's eight-run fourth-inning in a 16-5 game two loss. The Yellowjackets took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning before Loewe tied it with an RBI single in the bottom of that frame. LeTourneau stretched it to 3-1 in the top of the third before exploding for the eight runs in the fourth. The Yellowjackets used six hits, three walks and a wild pitch to put together the big inning. Loewe blasted a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth and Whiddon doubled home a run,
Parker Edmonds added a run-scoring fielder's choice and another run scored on an error as the Cru closed to within 11-5 in the bottom of the fifth. LeTourneau would add one in the sixth and four more in the seventh to end the game on the run rule.
Ian Ekery took the loss to fall to 2-4 for UMHB. Loewe was 3-3 with two RBI for the Cru and took Schlotzsky's Lotz Better Player of the Game honors. Garrett Methvin and Brent Sellers had four hits apiece for LeTourneau and Josh Gimre earned the win to move to 2-3 on the season.
The doubleheader closes out the regular season for both teams. UMHB will now advance to the ASC Championship Tournament for the first time in three seasons. The Cru will be the #3 seed from the ASC West in that tournament and will play a first-round, best-of-three series at East Division #2 seed, Louisiana College, next Friday and Saturday.
