Sports
UMHB baseball drops 2-of-3 to UT-Tyler
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 by Tony Adams
The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team got outstanding pitching from Kreece Cooper and Chance Ryan, but could only take away a single victory as the Cru lost a 1-0 decision to U.T.-Tyler Friday afternoon, bounced back in the first game of the twin bill Satuday 3-2, and subsequently lost the rubber game 5-4 at Red Murff Field in Belton. The series dropped UMHB to 3-5 on the season. The Patriots move to 7-3 on the year with the series win.
U.T.-Tyler scored game one's only run in the top of the third inning. Chris Back led off with a walk, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Cayden Cunniff's sacrifice fly. UMHB had scoring chances in the sixth and ninth innings, but could not advance base runners past second base.
Cooper threw a complete-game, four-hitter for UMHB but fell to 0-1 on the year. He struck out eight and walked three. Will Stafford had two of the Cru's four hits in the loss. Chance Cotton (2-1) scattered four hits and struck out 11 in a complete-game shutout for the Patriots. Cunniff had two of U.T.-Tyler's four hits in the game.
UMHB opened the scoring of Saturday's doubleheader, scoring three runs in the bottom of the second inning to erase a 1-0 deficit in game one. Jake Ricketts walked with the bases loaded to get the first run home and Zack Whiddon added a two-run single to make it 3-1 Cru. The Patriots cut it to 3-2 on Jeff Kosta's RBI single in the top of the fourth. U.T.-Tyler loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, but Ryan struck out Tanner Sheets looking to end the game. Ryan (1-0) scattered seven hits and struck out eight in a complete-game win. Will Stafford had two of UMHB's seven hits in the game. Jordan Marah took the loss for the Patriots to drop to 2-1. Cunniff and T.J. Martin had two hits apiece for UT-Tyler.
The Patriots three-run sixth inning was too much for the Cru to overcome in the nightcap. UT-Tyler took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Chase Burrow's sacrifice fly and Garrett Webb's RBI single made it 2-1 UMHB in the first. The Patriots tied the game in the fourth and took a 5-2 lead with the trio of runs in sixth, two scoring on Jared Gobert's two-run single. Heath Spencer scored on Zack Whiddon's groundout and Austin Greene scored on a wild pitch as the Cru cut the lead to 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh, but Matt Sheppard and Derek Miller set UMHB down in the eighth and ninth innings to preserve the win. Nick Bergmann took the loss for the Cru to fall to 0-2. Chris Florack and Robert Loewe led the UMHB offense with two hits apiece. Jack Barkley earned the win for U.T.-Tyler and Miller notched his fifth save. Kevan House had two of the Patriots seven hits in the game.
UMHB will travel to Longview to take on LeTourneau in the first game of a weekend series Friday evening.
