March 9, 2008

Final Stats

ABILENE, Texas - Hardin-Simmons' baseball team could not come up with the big hit in the late innings and fell in the rubber game of its American Southwest Conference baseball series with McMurry, 5-3, Sunday afternoon at Walt Driggers Field in Abilene.

In the best played game of the series, neither team committed an error and double plays by McMurry in the sixth and seventh inning squashed Cowboy scoring threats.

McMurry took the lead 2-0 in the third inning. Tim Kriegel had not allowed a base runner in the first eight batters, but Nathan Love doubled with two outs and leadoff man Steven Yurchick singled him in with his first hit of the series after starting 0-for-9. Yurchick moved up on the throw to the plate that was just late and then moved to third and scored on a wild pitch.

HSU came right back to tie the game with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. Taylor Berlin homered to center field and J.T. Armstrong picked up an RBI double with two outs.

McMurry retook the lead in the fifth. Gerard Morris struck out for what would have been the second out but the pitch hit off the plate and bounced near the McMurry dugout to put him on. Love was then hit by a pitch and Yurchick hit a shot off of the mound that ricocheted into right field to score a run. Weston Franco then followed with another single to make it 4-2.

The Cowboys responded with a run in the sixth. Berlin and James Gage walked to lead off the inning and chase starter Albert Toombs. Kyle Martin came on and got Tre' Sellari to ground into a double play on a hard hit ball right to Franco at second. Berlin moved to third and came around to score on Armstrong's second straight two-out RBI this time a single up the middle.

Steven Derrick homered to left field to lead off the sixth for McMurry for the final run of the game. Mike Morgan singled in the seventh for the Cowboys and was immediately erased on a double play.

Kyle Barton worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings for the Cowboys and HSU put the first two men on in the ninth inning with singles by Sellari and Armstrong. Kyle Post then tried to sacrifice bunt, but the bunt was just in front of the plate and Ross Shores cut down Sellari at third in force play. After a Regan Dixon strikeout, Brian Weeks flied out to left field to end the game.

Toombs (3-0) earned the win for McMurry and Martin allowed only four hits in his four innings of work to record the save. Alcorn took the loss for the Cowboys.

Armstrong had three of the Cowboys' nine hits.

HSU is now 9-5 on the year and 1-2 in ASC play, McMurry improved to 9-7 overall and 2-1 in league play. HSU will play Marietta at 4 p.m. on Monday at Hunter Field.