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Contributed by Chad Grubbs, HSU Director of Athletic Communications
ABILENE, Texas - Hardin-Simmons' baseball team beat McMurry 4-2 in the opening game of its three-game American Southwest Conference series on Military Appreciation Night at Hunter Field on Thursday evening.
Both starting pitchers were solid but neither was a part of the decision. Jeremy Hallmark worked seventh inning and allowed just one earned run for the Cowboys and Benjamin Russell allowed two runs in six and two-third innings.
HSU wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Taylor Cooling led off the bottom of the first with a single up the middle and scored when Zack de Luna doubled to the right field corner to make it 1-0. The hit extended de Luna's hit streak to 22 games, which is a non-scholarship era record for the Cowboys.
McMurry tied the game in the third inning when Robert White doubled and moved to third on a fly out and scored on a wild pitch. The War Hawks took a 2-1 lead in the fourth as Matt Chalk singled, moved to second on a failed pickoff attempt to third on a passed ball and scored on a Blaine McRay RBI groundout.
The Cowboys tied the game in the sixth when Jamie Ball singled and scored on a Cody Berryman double. McMurry threatened in the eighth with runners on first and third with two outs but Garrett Reed came on and got a fly out to end the threat.
HSU took the lead in the eighth when Jamie Ball and Colson Craddick had back-to-back one-out singles and moved up on a wild pitch that led to Cody Berryman being intentionally walked to load the bases. Ricky Lopez came on to relieve Aaron Donald and gave up a two-run single to Colton Parker to give HSU a 4-2 lead. Donald took the loss in relief.
Taylor Cooling picked up his seventh saves getting the final two outs of the ninth. Reed earned the win in relief.
Ball and de Luna had two hits each for HSU and White and Kevin Garza had two hits each for McMurry.
HSU is now 13-7 on the year and leads the ASC with a 7-3 record. McMurry fell to 9-12 overall and 4-3 in league play. The teams will play a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Friday.
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