BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team saw some bad luck snowball into a big inning as the Cru fell to Texas Lutheran 9-3 Tuesday night in Belton. The loss drops UMHB to 0-4 while the Bulldogs improve to 3-1 with the victory.
 
TLU loaded the bases with one out in the top of the first inning, but the Cru's Logan Pace worked out of it. UMHB would grab a 1-0 lead when Caimyn Holiday singled, stole second and third, and came in to score on a passed ball in the bottom of the first. It would stay that way into the top of the fifth. Texas Lutheran made the most of three infield hits to explode for eight runs in that inning. Joe Jimenez's two-run single was the biggest hit as the Bulldogs couple eight hits, a hit batter and a UMHB error to put together the eight-run rally. Hunter McQuary tripled home Holiday in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 8-2. Texas Lutheran had a chance to add to the lead in the eighth, but Mateo Calle and Blake Harmon worked a perfect relay to gun down Austin Colon at the plate to keep it an 8-2 game. Ryan Farmer's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth pulled the Cru to within 8-3. TLU did add an insurance run in the top of the ninth and UMHB could not answer in the bottom of the frame. Anthony Tovar took the loss for the Cru while Chase Cutler earned the win for TLU. Holiday had two of UMHB's four hits and scored two runs. Cole Irby had three hits for the Bulldogs.
 
The Cru baseball team will hit the road for a three-game conference series at East Texas Baptist this weekend in Marshall. The two teams will open that series with a 7 pm single game on Friday before closing out the weekend with a 1 pm doubleheader on Saturday.