KERRVILLE, Texas – University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball mounted a ninth-inning comeback but came up short in a wind-propelled contest Tuesday in Kerrville. The loss dropped the Cru to 4-3 on the season while Schreiner University advanced to 3-11 on the season.
 
Tyler Betts and Alejandro Sanchez III opened the first inning with back-to-back singles. Riley Bender followed, getting on first base off an error to load the bases but a double-play got the Mountaineers out of the inning. Alex Hill started the game on the mound, earning a strikeout, pick-off at first, and forced a fly out to end the first inning. Schreiner got on the board first in the second with a lead-off solo homerun. Hill came back with two strikeouts and a groundout to third, holding the Mountaineers to just one.
 
Cameron Talburt singled to center to start the third inning before stealing second and advancing to third on an error by the catcher. Sanchez followed with a walk and stolen base but both runners were left on to close the frame. Easton Cline led off the fifth inning with a double, advancing to third on a sacrifice ground out to the pitcher from Cameron Talburt. Carson Hagan earned an RBI off a sacrifice fly scoring Cline, knotting the game at one. The Mountaineers responded in the bottom of the fifth, scoring the go ahead run on a fielder's choice to take the score to 2-1. The Cru jumped back on top in the sixth after Riley Bender singled to center, before Exavier Mendez hit a two-run homerun to clear the bases. Schreiner struck again in the bottom of the sixth scoring five runs on six hits, making it a 7-3 ball game.
 
Schreiner added another run in the seventh off another solo homerun. UMHB tacked on one in the eighth inning with an RBI single from Shane Melick, scoring Jordan Fernandez. Schreiner answered with four more runs, taking a 12-4 run into the ninth. Cameron Talburt opened the ninth with a walk before scoring off an RBI double from Carson Hagan. Sanchez advanced Hagan two batters later off an error before Riley Bender hit a home run, scoring both Sanchez and Hagan to cut the gap to four. UMHB added one more baserunner but left him stranded, closing the game with a 12-8 loss to Schreiner.
 
Five Crusaders recorded a team-high two hits each while Bender led with three RBI and two runs scored. UMHB threw a myriad of pitcher with Kolby McBee taking the loss. McBee threw 1.2 innings with five earned runs allowed. Hill went 3.2 innings, giving up four hits and one earned run with five strikeouts. Isaac Brann and JD Gerda also pitched in relief with Gerda also adding five strikeouts. UMHB totaled eight runs on 14 hits with five errors while the Mountaineers had 12 runs on 16 hits with four errors.
 
 UMHB returns to action in a home-opening game against Southwestern on Wednesday, March 5th at 6:00 PM.