The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team used a seven-run second inning to build a big early lead, but the Cru saw Southwestern storm back to send the game to extra innings. The Pirates would walk it off with a two-out game-winning double in the bottom of the tenth as Southwestern posted a 10-9 victory over UMHB Tuesday night in Georgetown. The Cru drops to 9-24 with the loss. The Pirates improve to 15-18 with the win.
Max Conway's RBI single and Landon Dieterich's RBI double gave UMHB a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. The Cru then added seven more in the top of the second to stretch it to 9-0. Conway's RBI single opened the scoring, UMHB added a run on a Pirate error, Austin Blanford and Hunter McQuary singled home runs, Mitch Patterson added a two-run single and another Southwestern error allowed the final run of the inning to score. The Pirates scored three runs in the third and three more in the fifth to cut the lead to 9-6. A single run in the sixth closed the gap to 9-7 and two hits and two Cru errors allowed Southwestern to pull to within 9-8 in the bottom of the seventh before UMHB turned a double play to end the frame. The Pirates put the tying run on base with nobody out in the bottom of the eighth, but Cru pitcher Connor Heussner was able to work out of that jam to keep it 9-8 UMHB. Southwestern would take advantage of a two-out error to get the bottom of the ninth alive and Cole Kelly singled home the tying run to get the game to extra innings at 9-9. Mason Schuh doubled with one out in the top of the tenth, but the Cru could not push across a run. Riley Wayland's two-out, pinch-hit infield single put the winning run on base in the bottom of that inning and Wayland scored the game winner on Hayden Craig's double to complete the Southwestern comeback.
McQuary led UMHB with four hits and Conway, Malek Bolin and Dakota Best added three hits apiece. Andrew Hutchings took the loss for the Cru to drop to 2-4 on the season. Jacob Frankel pitched eight innings of scoreless relief for Southwestern to improve to 2-1 on the year. Kelly and Colby Schmidt led the Pirate offense with three hits each and five other players had two hits apiece for Southwestern.
UMHB will return to action with a return to American Southwest Conference play later this week. The Cru will host McMurry University in the final home games of the season. UMHB will host the War Hawks for a 7 pm single game on Thursday before the teams close out the series with a 1 pm doubleheader on Friday at Red Murff Field.
