BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team battled back but could not overcome Millikin's eight-run second inning as the Cru fell to the Big Blue 15-7 Thursday in Belton. UMHB drops to 6-11 on the season with the loss. Millikin improves to 8-4 with the victory.

Millikin opened the scoring with Jake Drada's leadoff home run in the top of the second inning. The Big Blue bunched six hits, two walks and a wild pitch into an eight-run third inning to stretch the lead to 9-0. Braden Letney doubled home two runs and scored on Malek Bolin's RBI single as the Cru cut it to 9-3 in the bottom of the fourth. Devin Crews blasted a two-run homer for the Big Blue in the top of the fifth to give Millikin an 11-3 cushion. A sacrifice fly pushed it to 12-3 in the top of the sixth. The Cru would cut it to 12-6 with RBI singles from Caleb Davis and Mitch Patterson and Hunter McQuary's sacrifice fly in the bottom of that frame. Jon Walters hit a three-run homer in the top of the seventh and Letney singled home a run in the bottom of the inning to make it 15-7. Neither team would score again as it ended with that 15-7 margin.

Letney had two hits and three RBI to lead the Cru offense. Patterson, Max Conway and Austin Blanford also had two hits apiece for UMHB. Bailey Whatley took the loss to drop to 0-3 for the Cru. Crews and Mason Bruce had three hits each for the Big Blue and Walters drove in five runs. Brent Beals (2-1) picked up the win for four and two-thirds innings of relief work after Millikin starter Logan Talkington was hit by a line drive just two batters into the game.

The Cru will now host LeTourneau University for a three-game American Southwest Conference series this weekend. The two teams open the series with a 6:00 PM single on Friday before closing out the weekend with a 1:00 PM doubleheader on Saturday.