PINEVILLE, Louisiana – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team opened American Southwest Conference play in style by sweeping a doubleheader from Louisiana College Saturday in Pineville. UMHB won 5-1 and 2-0 to improve to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the ASC on the season. The two losses drop the Wildcats to 3-4 overall and 0-2 in the ASC.
 
The Cru jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back in the 5-1 game one victory. Malek Bolin singled home a run in the top of the first and Jacob Dellipoali followed with a two-run homer. Garrett Gonzales hit a solo homer in the top of the second and Jack Herbert added an RBI single in the fourth to make it 5-0. LC ended the shutout bid with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the fifth. Jeb Zolman scattered three hits over six innings to get the win for UMHB and move to 1-0 on the season. Dellipoali had two of the Cru's six hits in the contest.
 
UMHB used another dominating pitching performance from Rahul Champaneri to post a 2-0 win in game two. Hunter Jones doubled home the only run Champaneri would need in the top of the second and Zolman doubled home an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Champaneri did the rest, holding the Wildcats to just five hits in a complete-game shutout. He struck out six and walked just one in raising his record to 2-0. Champaneri has started his Cru career with 16 consecutive shutout innings.
 
The two teams will close out the series with a 1 pm single game Sunday in Pineville. UMHB will then return home to host Belhaven University for a three-game conference set next weekend in Belton.