April 4, 2008

Final Stats

BROWNWOOD, Texas - Hardin-Simmons' baseball team exploded for 10 runs over the final three innings and held on for a 12-9 American Southwest Conference win over Howard Payne, Friday afternoon at Don Shephard Park in Brownwood.

The Cowboys got another strong outing from start James Sweatman. He went six and one-third innings and improved to 4-2 on the year. He scattered seven hits and allowed four runs (three earned). He had to work in and out of trouble as the Cowboy defense committed five errors while he was in the game, but he was able to wiggle free on most of the occasions.

Howard Payne scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second when two errors plated a run for the Yellowjackets. The game remained 1-0 until the Cowboys took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth.

In the fifth, Kyle Post led off with a single and moved to second on a Ryan Stepp sacrifice bunt. Brian Weeks singled through the left side and James Gage drove Post home on a fielder's choice. Taylor Berlin singled and then Pimpton drove home Gage with a two-out two-strike single to center field.

HPU scored three runs in the fifth. Chris Pucci scored to leadoff the fifth when he tripled and scored on a bad relay by the Cowboys. Blake Shaffer had an RBI triple later in the inning.

HSU exploded in the seventh inning with four run on four hits. Gage, Berlin and Pimpton loaded the bases with three straight singles and Regan Dixon forced in a run with a bases loaded walk. Nathan Copeland had an RBI groundout and Tre' Sellari had a two-out two-run double in the inning to give the Cowboys a 6-4 lead.

The Cowboys made it 11-4 with five runs in the eighth. Dixon had an RBI single, Copeland a bases loaded walk, a Sellari sacrifice fly, a Post RBI single and a Stepp RBI single. HPU added two runs in the eighth and the Cowboys added a single run in the ninth on a throwing error by Pucci on a potential double play.

HSU led 12-6 going to the ninth and tried to get out of it without using ace reliever Josh Alcorn, but the Jackets scored two quick runs on Eric Roten. Alcorn came on to close out the game, but did not come in a save situation.

HSU had 17 hits in the game, 16 of which were singles. Stepp and Post each had three hits and Sellari drove in three runs and Dixon and Copeland each drove in two runs.

The Cowboys improved to 15-14 overall and 6-7 in league play. HPU fell to 14-15 and 8-5 in ASC action. The Cowboys have now won the first game of all five of its ASC series and will look for its second straight series win the teams play a crucial doubleheader to both teams playoff chances Saturday at 1 p.m.