BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team earned an 8-6 win over No. 12 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Sunday afternoon in Belton. The win improved the Cru to 1-2 while the Stags moved to 2-1.

UMHB took an early lead when Jacob Newland scored on a wild pitch in the first inning. The Cru defense threw a double play to end a threat in the second then added another run off a Newland homerun in the third.
 
The Stags answered with a two-RBI homerun in the fourth to knot the game at two. That score held until the sixth inning when UMHB strung together four runs. Nolan Williams and JC Hughes scored off a two-RBI single from Easton Cline before Chris Perez reached home off an RBI single from Tyler Betts. Cline scored on the next at-bat off a sacrifice fly from Cameron Talburt, ending the inning with a 6-2 UMHB lead.
 
The Cru tacked on two more runs in the seventh off a two-RBI home run from Nolan Williams, extending the margin to six runs. The Stags added one more run in the eighth but Jacob Haynes pitched out of a bases-loaded jam to secure the two-run win.  
 
Four different Crusaders recorded hits while Newland and Williams recorded a team-high two runs. Williams and Cline added two RBI each while Newland and Williams both hit a home run.
 
Cole Morkovsky earned the start, throwing four innings with three hits and two runs allowed. Zach Hampton threw 3.2 innings in relief, giving up just one earned run while Gavin Oliver tacked on 0.2 innings with Haynes earning the save. The Cru's pitching staff stranded runners in the sixth, eighth and ninth for the win.
 
UMHB returns to action in a 6 p.m. contest against Webster University on Friday, February 13th.