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Contributed by Dave Beyer, McM Sports Information Director
ABILENE, Texas - McMurry University combined outstanding pitching efforts with timely hitting, to win a doubleheader over LeTourneau University - 1-0 and 6-3 - and also complete the three-game series sweep. The War Hawks improved to 7-8, while the YellowJackets fell to 5-9 on the year.
In the seven inning first game, McMurry's Benjamin Russell and Andrew Harlan of LETU locked horns in a classic pitcher's duel. Russell went five strong innings, permitting three hits and no runs. He struck out two and walked one in improving his personal record to 2-2.
Rickey Lopez came on in the sixth and registered two outs, but also allowed a pair of hits before being lifted. Will Dunlap got the final out of the sixth and pitched a scoreless seventh to earn his first save as a War Hawk.
Conversely, Harlan went the distance for the YellowJackets in taking the loss. Harlan struck out six and did not walk a batter and allowed McM seven htis. His only flaw came in the fifth inning when McM scored what would be the lone run of the game.
With one out, rightfielder Robert White single a 1-0 pitch thru the left side of the infield and took second on Kevin Garza's ground out. That brought up freshman Jordan Speck, making just his second collegiate start at second base, who slugged a 1-1 pitch to the left-center gap that drove home White to make it 1-0.
Danny Perkins was McMurry's only player with more than one hit, going 2-for-3, in game one.
In the second game, the two teams combined for 21 hits - 11 for LETU and 10 for McM - but it was the War Hawks who parlayed their efforts into the most runs. Junior Garrett Johnston got the starting nod on the mound and scattered nine hits over his 6.2 innings of work. Johnston gave up one run (earned), struck out two and walked three.
After a scoreless first two innings, LETU tallied a run in the top of the third. However, McMurry exploded for five in their half of the frame. Two errors by the YellowJackets allowed White to cross the plate with an unearned run. With two men still on base for McM, Chris Baker clubbed his second home run of the season - and second in as many days - to put the War Hawks up 4-1.
Perkins then reached on a throwing error by LETU's third baseman. Noah Clarkson's RBI double brought home Perkins to make it 5-1, as the scored stood until the seventh. In that inning, White's sacrifice fly scored Nicholas Moore to make it 6-1.
LETU managed a two-run homer, with no one out, by Taylor Empkey in the ninth to chase War Hawks' reliever Mike Hoffman. Freshman Juan Valadez was then called upon to restore order and retired all three YellowJackets he faced to earn his third save of the year.
Baker finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run. Clarkson was 2-for-5 with an RBI, while White went 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI, as well.
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