BB edges McMurry 13-11

03/20/08

Belton, TX - The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team grabbed an early lead and then answered every McMurry rally as the Cru posted a 13-11 victory over McMurry Thursday afternoon in Belton. UMHB improves to 17-4 overall and 6-1 in American Southwest Conference play with the victory. The loss drops McMurry to 14-9 overall and 4-3 in the ASC.

Steven Reinlie's mammoth two-run homer gave UMHB a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Derek David tied the game with a two-run single for McMurry in the top of the third, but bases loaded walk to Jonathan Whitehead in the bottom of the frame put the Cru on top 3-2. A run-scoring double play and David's RBI infield single gave McMurry a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth, but Andrew White gave the lead back to the Cru with a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning. Gerad Morris hit a three-run homer of his own in McMurry's half to the fifth to make it 7-6, but Brady Honeycutt hit a solo homer for the Cru in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at seven. Adam Froeschl led off the sixth with a solo homer and R.B. Garza singled home a run to put UMHB up 9-7 in the bottom of the sixth. Stephen Derrick's RBI single cut the lead to 9-8 in the eighth, but UMHB again answered with four runs in the bottom of the eighth. Reinlie doubled home two runs and Garza and Whitehead added RBI singles to make it 13-8. Steven Yurchick hit a three-run homer for McMurry in the top of the ninth, but Tanner Vaughan set the next three batters down in order to preserve the victory for UMHB.

Les Sarles earned the win to raise his record to 3-1. Clint Johnston took the loss for McMurry to drop to 3-3. Joseph Villegas had four hits for UMHB, Froeschl added three hits and White, Reinlie, Whitehead and Garza all had two hits apiece for the Cru. Yurchick and Derrick had four hits each for McMurry and David added two hits.

The two teams will close out the series with a 1:00 PM doubleheader tomorrow at Red Murff Field. The start time has been pushed back one hour from the originally scheduled time of noon.