Jackets Split With UMHB

Ben Butler hit two homeruns on Saturday versus UMHB

HPU Sports Information

BELTON, Texas – The Howard Payne University baseball team won 12-9 in 11 innings in game two after posting a 4-3 loss in game one Saturday afternoon versus the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Howard Payne moves to 12-20 overall and 7-11 in the ASC West on the season. UMHB is now 17-19 overall and 7-11 in ASC West Division play following the split.

UMHB held off a late Howard Payne rally to post a 4-3 victory in game one. Howard Payne took a 1-0 lead on Ben Butler's solo homer in the top of the second and pushed it to 2-0 on Taylor Zambreski's sacrifice fly in the top of the third.

UMHB tied the game on Chris Joshlin's RBI single and a run-scoring error in the bottom of the third. UMH took a 3-2 lead when Seth Lynn scored on a balk in the fourth and moved it to 4-2 on Zach Crosswhite's RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.

HPU's Dustin Cole would draw a bases loaded walk in the top of the seventh to cut the lead to 4-3 but Andy Evans came on to strike out Kevin Young with the bases loaded to end the threat and preserve the win for UMHB.

Jonathan Morris took the loss to drop to 0-5 for the Yellow Jackets. UMHB's Cameron Graham picked up the win. Braden Embry had two hits for UMHB and Butler had two hits for Howard Payne.

UMHB came back from a four-run seventh inning deficit to tie game two, but UMHB could not overcome HPU's three-run 11th inning in a 12-9 HPU victory.

The Yellow Jackets scored two runs in the first, second and third innings and took a 6-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth. UMHB had RBI singles in that frame to pull UMHB to within 6-4, but Howard Payne used Will Garlick's RBI double and Sam Dollahite's two-run homer to push the lead back to 9-4.

An UMHB RBI single cut the lead to 9-5 in the fifth and then pulled to within 9-8 with a three-run seventh inning. That wouldn't come until the bottom of the ninth when UMHB's Crosswhite delivered a pinch-hit, two-out RBI single to tie the game at nine and send it to extra innings.

Ryan Abbott's RBI single in the 11th gave the Yellow Jackets and 10-9 and Zambreski added some insurance with a two-run double.

UMHB would put two runners on the bottom of the 11th, but a double play and fly out ended the threat and the game.

Corey Howie picked up the win in relief to raise his record to 4-1 on the year. Ricky Brenek was charged with the loss to drop to 0-3 for UMHB. Jordan Hammontree had five hits for HPU and Butler added three more.

The Jackets will close out the regular season at home next Thursday and Friday versus Schreiner University in a three-game series
Print Friendly Version