MARSHALL, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team put together two solid pitching performances and came up with enough offense to make it stand up in game two as the Cru split a doubleheader with East Texas Baptist Saturday in Marshall. UMHB won game two 2-1 after falling 3-1 in the opener to move to 1-5 overall and 1-4 in American Southwest Conference play on the season. ETBU is now 6-4 overall and 3-2 in ASC play.
 
Andrew Acierni pitched eight sterling innings to make an early lead stand up in the Cru's 2-1 game two victory. UMHB took a 1-0 lead on Malek Bolin's RBI single in the top of the first inning. The Cru added a run on Daylon Nebgen's RBI double in the top of the sixth. That was all Acierni needed to get the win. The Tigers did get a run in the bottom of the eighth and put the tying run in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth, but the Cru was able to close it. Acierni struck out six and walked two while scattering five hits in eight innings to even his record at 1-1. Trevor Ripke pitched the ninth to notch his first save of the year. Jeb Zolman had two of the Cru's six hits in the win.
 
UMHB fell 3-1 in game one. ETBU took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third, but the Cru answered on Mateo Calle's RBI single in the top of the fourth. The Tigers scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth and the Cru could not make up the gap. Zolman took the loss despite giving up just six hits and one earned run in six innings. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.
 
The two teams will close out the series with a 2 pm single game on Sunday. The Cru will return to action with a three-game, non-conference series at Austin College next weekend in Sherman.