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Belton, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team grabbed a lead midway through the game, but could not overcome East Texas Baptist's seven-run sixth inning as the Cru fell to the Tigers 9-5 Sunday afternoon in Belton. UMHB drops to 3-8 overall and 1-3 in American Southwest Conference play with the loss. ETBU improves to 10-6 overall and 4-0 in the ASC with the victory.

The Tigers scratched across an unearned run in the top of the first to grab an early lead. Landon Dieterich led off the bottom of the fourth with his first collegiate home run to tie the game and Mitch Patterson scored on a wild pitch in that frame to give UMHB a 2-1 lead. The Cru tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 5-1 lead. Dietrich singled home the first run and Emery Atkisson added a two-run double to close out the UMHB scoring. ETBU strung together five hits and made the most of a Cru error to put up seven runs in the top of the sixth. Conner Combs' two-run double was the biggest hit of the inning for the Tigers, who only managed two earned runs in the inning. ETBU tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh to provide the final margin.

Dietrich had two hits and two RBI for the Cru. Mark Frankhouser and Austin Blanford also had two hits to lead UMHB's ten-hit attack. Nathan Kent took the loss for the Cru to drop to 1-2 despite giving up just two earned runs on eight hits in five and two-thirds innings of work. Zach Pollard earned the win for ETBU to move to 2-0 and Blake Corbin closed it out for his first save of the year. Combs, Jaxon Rader and Brice Winter had two hits apiece for the Tigers.

The two teams will close out the series with a 12:30 PM doubleheader on Monday at Red Murff Field. UMHB will then host Blackburn for a 6:00 PM single game on Tuesday to close out a stretch of four home games in three days.