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Contributed by: Dave Beyer, McMurry Sports Information Director
ABILENE, Texas - Less than 48 hours after being swept in the season-opening doubleheader versus Wayland Baptist on the road, the McMurry University baseball team returned the favor by winning a twinbill at Walt Driggers Field on Sunday. The War Hawks (2-2) swept the Pioneers (5-3) by scores of 5-1 and 10-5.
In the seven inning game one, junior transfer Benjamin Russell (1-0) was solid in his first outing on the mound for McMurry. The left-handed Russell tossed five scoreless innings, scattering four hits and striking out three.
Juan Valadez closed the games by throwing the final two frames.
Both teams collected six total hits, while also each making four errors apiece.
In the bottom of the first, McM tallied an unearned run when Kevin Garza reached on a WBU error at second and eventually scored on Tyler Jenkins' grounder to first. In the fourth, the War Hawks added one more on an RBI single by Colton Chalker that plated Nick Moore (who opened the inning with a leadoff single).
McMurry's three-run fifth, Chris Baker got things going with a leadoff double to right-centerfield. Jenkins exchanged places with Baker after a two-base throwing error on a grounder.
Then - with one out - Ty Kirk singled to put runners on the corners. Taylor Ward followed with a single to right that drove home Jenkins. That finished off WBU starter Mason Taylor (1-1), who was replaced by Paxton Bartley. After one strikeout and a base on balls, Bartley uncorked a wild pitch with Kevin Garza at the plate to make it 5-0.
The Pioneers lone run came in the top of the seventh.
In game two, McM tallied single runs in the first, fourth and sixth innings, but found itself down, 5-3, after the Pioneers plated one run in the fourth and a four-spot in the top of the sixth. That score stood until the bottom of the eighth inning when the War Hawks rallied back with their biggest frame of the year.
Chalker was hit by a pitch to lead off the elongated at-bat for McM. That was followed by Noah Clarkson's single to right and, after pinch-hitter Curtis Summers was hit by a pitch, which loaded the bases. McM head coach John Byington then called on Chase Bledsoe to pinch hit. Bledsoe delivered a solid single to center that drove in Chalker.
That elicited another pitching change for WBU with the bases still full of War Hawks. Junior Patrick Adams smacked a two-run single and took second on the throw, with Clarkson stopping at third, as McMurry took the 6-5 lead.
Baker then continued his hot-hitting day by crushing a single to left-center that pushed in both baserunners. Jenkins, pinch hitting in the designated hitter position, then unloaded a two-run homer to left for the 10-5 final scored.
Baker - a firstbaseman - finished game two with a 4-for-4 day (five hits overall in the twinbill), with a run and two runs batted in. Clarkson collected three hits in four at-bats and Adams went 2-for-4, with two runs and two RBI. He was also errorless in 11 total chances in the field, as well.
Starter Jack Poe went 4.0 innings, allowing three hits and one earned run. Poe struck out three and did not walk a batter. Aaron Donald threw one scoreless inning of relief as the second of five War Hawk hurlers. Garrett Scudder was touched up for three earned runs in 2/3 of an inning, before Rody Johnson came on. Johnson worked 1.1 innings and also gave up a run.
Ricky Lopez (1-0) got the ball for the final two innings and was the benefactor of McM's eighth-inning outburst. Lopez permitted just one hit and no runs, striking out two and walking one.
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ABILENE, Texas - Less than 48 hours after being swept in the season-opening doubleheader versus Wayland Baptist on the road, the McMurry University baseball team returned the favor by winning a twinbill at Walt Driggers Field on Sunday. The War Hawks (2-2) swept the Pioneers (5-3) by scores of 5-1 and 10-5.
In the seven inning game one, junior transfer Benjamin Russell (1-0) was solid in his first outing on the mound for McMurry. The left-handed Russell tossed five scoreless innings, scattering four hits and striking out three.
Juan Valadez closed the games by throwing the final two frames.
Both teams collected six total hits, while also each making four errors apiece.
In the bottom of the first, McM tallied an unearned run when Kevin Garza reached on a WBU error at second and eventually scored on Tyler Jenkins' grounder to first. In the fourth, the War Hawks added one more on an RBI single by Colton Chalker that plated Nick Moore (who opened the inning with a leadoff single).
McMurry's three-run fifth, Chris Baker got things going with a leadoff double to right-centerfield. Jenkins exchanged places with Baker after a two-base throwing error on a grounder.
Then - with one out - Ty Kirk singled to put runners on the corners. Taylor Ward followed with a single to right that drove home Jenkins. That finished off WBU starter Mason Taylor (1-1), who was replaced by Paxton Bartley. After one strikeout and a base on balls, Bartley uncorked a wild pitch with Kevin Garza at the plate to make it 5-0.
The Pioneers lone run came in the top of the seventh.
In game two, McM tallied single runs in the first, fourth and sixth innings, but found itself down, 5-3, after the Pioneers plated one run in the fourth and a four-spot in the top of the sixth. That score stood until the bottom of the eighth inning when the War Hawks rallied back with their biggest frame of the year.
Chalker was hit by a pitch to lead off the elongated at-bat for McM. That was followed by Noah Clarkson's single to right and, after pinch-hitter Curtis Summers was hit by a pitch, which loaded the bases. McM head coach John Byington then called on Chase Bledsoe to pinch hit. Bledsoe delivered a solid single to center that drove in Chalker.
That elicited another pitching change for WBU with the bases still full of War Hawks. Junior Patrick Adams smacked a two-run single and took second on the throw, with Clarkson stopping at third, as McMurry took the 6-5 lead.
Baker then continued his hot-hitting day by crushing a single to left-center that pushed in both baserunners. Jenkins, pinch hitting in the designated hitter position, then unloaded a two-run homer to left for the 10-5 final scored.
Baker - a firstbaseman - finished game two with a 4-for-4 day (five hits overall in the twinbill), with a run and two runs batted in. Clarkson collected three hits in four at-bats and Adams went 2-for-4, with two runs and two RBI. He was also errorless in 11 total chances in the field, as well.
Starter Jack Poe went 4.0 innings, allowing three hits and one earned run. Poe struck out three and did not walk a batter. Aaron Donald threw one scoreless inning of relief as the second of five War Hawk hurlers. Garrett Scudder was touched up for three earned runs in 2/3 of an inning, before Rody Johnson came on. Johnson worked 1.1 innings and also gave up a run.
Ricky Lopez (1-0) got the ball for the final two innings and was the benefactor of McM's eighth-inning outburst. Lopez permitted just one hit and no runs, striking out two and walking one.
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