GEORGETOWN, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team dropped an 18-13 decision to Southwestern University Tuesday evening in Georgetown. The loss dropped the Cru to 8-7 o the season while the Pirates moved to 7-5.
 
UMHB jumped to an early lead in the second inning. Blake Harmon scored Warren Sammons with a sacrifice fly before Rhett Grosz scored on an RBI single from Drake Herrera. Malek Bolin drove in two more runs with an RBI single in that frame, giving the Cru a 4-0 lead.
 
Southwestern mirrored that frame to even the contest after two innings. Kaden deBerardinis scored on an RBI from Herrera in the top of the fourth but the Pirates responded with 12 runs in the bottom of that inning to take a 16-5 lead.
 
Malek Bolin and Blake Harmon both hit two-RBI singles in the sixth while Bolin also scored on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to cut the Pirates' gap to five runs. UMHB added three more runs in the top of the eighth on a wild pitch and a two-RBI single from Josh Gonzales.
 
The Pirates scored two more runs in the bottom of the eighth to extend the gap to five. UMHB saw one base runner in the ninth but was unable to score, surrendering the 18-13 win to the Pirates.
 
Herrera, Bolin, Sammons and Grosz each recorded two hits each while Sammons had a team-high three runs and Bolin drove in a team-high four RBI. UMHB totaled 12 runs on 13 hits with two errors while the Pirates had 18 runs on 23 hits with no errors. Seven pitchers combined for the Cru while the Pirates threw six.
 
The Cru returns to American Southwest Conference in a three-game series with UT Dallas this weekend in Belton. The series opens with a 6 p.m. single game on Friday, March 18^th and closes with a 12 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, March 19^th.