BELTON, Texas - The Howard Payne University baseball team split the final day of a three-game series vs. The university of Mary Hardin-Baylor, winning game one, 5-4 but dropping the second game, 6-3 on Saturday afternoon.

In game one, Bailey Smith belted his first career home run while playing in a Howard Payne uniform and the Jackets stormed back from a 3-1 deficit to force the game into extra innings. A sac fly from Chris Byrd scored David Groves in the top of the eighth inning and Howard Payne would hold on to capture the 5-4 victory.

Zach Moseley picked up his first win of the season after entering the game in the sixth inning for relief. He struck out the side to end the game and finished with three strikeouts while facing a total of nine batters to get the win. Michael Nowak went 2-3 from the plate with a run scored and Kyle Winstead finished an impressive 2-2 with two walks in the game. Cliff Lunceford and David Grovesboth finished 2-4  from the plate with Groves also scoring a run.

Benjamin Lewis started the scoring early for the Jackets with a single through the right side of the infield to bring Kyle Winstead around and give Howard Payne a 1-0 lead. The Cru would respond by scoring three runs over the next two innings to take a 3-1 lead into the top of the fourth. That's when Bailey Smith would step into the box and with two outs, deliver a two run homerun to left center field. The scoring wasn't over yet though as Joshua Gerig took a walk and Lunceford followed with a single to right field to help score Gerig and give Howard Payne the 4-3 lead.

Both teams were scoreless over the next two innings until UMHB was able to tie the game back up at 4-4 with a solo home run. Zac Moseley would retire the side and stay settled down the stretch to help guide the defense to the victory. In the eighth, Chris Byrd hit his a clutch sacrifice fly to deep center to score Groves and give Howard Payne the 5-4 lead. The score they would eventually hold on to keep after Moseley struck out the side to end the game and even up the series at 1-1 apiece.

Game two started off a bit shaky for Howard Payne defense, who uncharacteristically gave up two runs early in the first inning. Starting pitcher Kyle Ramon would settle down though and go on to pitch a very solid game. Ramon finished with four strikeouts while going for five full innings and facing 27 batters. Chris Byrd finished 1-1 from the plate with one run scored, an RBI & two walks in the loss.

The Cru led off the game with a triple to right field to help set the tone for the inning. After two runs had crossed the plate, Kyle Ramon pitched his squad out of a one out bases loaded situation to help keep the game close and give the Jackets a shot at the series victory. Howard Payne would answer right back and scored two runs in the top of the third to notch the score back up at 2-2. Cliff Lunceford brought in both runs with a single up the middle. 

The Cru would get one run back in the bottom of the third inning to go up 3-2 but the Jackets didn't wait too long to respond. Jacob Salazar led off the fourth inning with a double & Chirs Byrd brought him home with single to center field to tie the game right back up at three apiece. 

UMHB was able to get a runner into scoring position after receiving a hit by pitch and then promptly stealing second base. They would bring that runner around with a double down the right field line to go up 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth. The Cru pitching staff would go on to hold the Jacket bats silent over the final three innings of play while picking up two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to secure the 6-3 victory and clinch the series.

Howard Payne will next be in action again when they face McMurry University in Abilene on April 13th at 7:00 PM. Live stats, audio and video links can be found on HPUSports.com. Be sure to follow along on Twitter, @HPUHardball and also on Instagram, @HPUSports for in-game updates, interactive content and more.