CLARKSVILLE, Arkansas – The Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team fell to The University of Ozarks in a double-header Friday night in Clarksville. UMHB lost game one 11-2, and after a ninth inning comeback, dropped game two, 6-5. The losses drop the Cru to 4-6 overall and 3-5 in American Southwest Conference play. The Eagles improve to 4-5 overall and 4-4 in league play.
 
Ozarks opened up scoring in the bottom of the first frame of game one with a three-run homer by Carlos Castillo. After that, scoring would come to a halt until the bottom of the sixth inning when the Eagles put up eight more runs. A two-run homer by Alex Ray made it 5-0, a throwing error made it 6-0, a three-run homer by Dru Didway made it 9-0, and a two-RBI double by Ray made it 11-0. In the top of the seventh, Drake Herrera was able to put the Cru on the board with a two-run homer to make it 11-2, that end the scoring giving the eagles the victory. Malek Bolin led the charge for the Crusaders with 2 hits in the game. James McGlumphy started on the mound for UMHB surrendering the loss (1-1) and throwing 5.1 innings, giving up 8 hits and 7 runs, only 3 of them earned. Zack Honey came in relief giving up 4 runs, none of them earned, and Zach Carroll came in relief to get the final out for the Cru. Blake Benson started on the mound for Ozarks and through a complete game giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and earned the win, moving him to 1-1.
 
In game two of the doubleheader, UMHB was able to score first with a Hunter Jones RBI double and continued the scoring in the top of the second after Carson Hagan stole third base and advanced home on a throwing error by the Eagle's catcher. In the top of the third inning, Jones was able to single home Caimyn Holiday to make it 3-0. In the bottom of the third, James Cross hit a game-tying three-run homer to make it a 3-3 ballgame. The scoring continued for Ozarks in the bottom of the fourth as Carlos Castillo hit a two-run homer to make the score 5-3, Ozarks. The scoring would stop until the ninth inning when Caimyn Holiday and Malek Bolin were able to hit back-to-back two-out homeruns to tie the game 5-5. In the bottom of the same frame, Didway doubled home the winning run to walk it off and win 6-5. Nicklas Fenner started on the mound for the Cru throwing 6 innings giving up 5 runs on 5 hits. Trevor Ripke came in relief for the remainder of the game, throwing 2.1 innings giving up 1 run on 3 hits and surrendering the loss, dropping his season record to 2-2. Holiday and Jones each led the Cru with 3 hits in the contest.
 
The two teams will close out the series tomorrow afternoon with a single game starting at noon.