Brownwood, Texas - The Howard Payne Baseball Club split a conference doubleheader on Saturday after dropping game one 1-0 and winning game two 16-14 versus the visiting LeTourneau YellowJackets.
Game One
Howard Payne only mustered up three hits in the 1-0 loss as LeTourneau scored the games lone run in the 5th inning off of starter Jeramy Dodson.
The Jackets had three batters who tallied a single hit. Dodson got the start for the Jackets and lasted 4.2 innings while giving up five hits, one run, and striking out eight. Landin Blass tossed 1.1 innings only giving up one hit while striking out two, and Bryant Chamber threw 1 inning with those same stats.
Game Two
Game one and game two turned out to be polar opposites as the Jackets and YellowJackets combined for 30 runs in the second game of the double header.
Noah Coronado got the scoring started in the 1st with an RBI single to right field that plated Joey Villarreal. Rylee McGee then singled to left to score both Jonathan McKay and Coronado to make the score 3-0. Daniel Paleo singled to center field to bring home RJ Roberts. McGee then crossed the plate due to a balk to bring the game to 5-0. Noah Coronado then ended the scoring fiasco that he started with a two RBI single to left center which plated Cade Varrichio and Paleo making it 7-0 at the end of the 1st.
In the 2nd inning Paleo singled home Nolyn Box to bring the Jacket's lead to 8-0. LeTourneau would then answer in the 3rd inning as they plated three YellowJackets to make the score 8-3. HPU would then answer with an RBI walk by RJ Roberts than brought home Carson Wert, then a McGee single that scored McKay and Villarreal to bring it to 11-3. Cade Varrichio then walked in Roberts to make it 12-3.
LETU scored one in the 4th, but then RJ Roberts answered with a two run bomb that brought home himself and Villarreal to make the score 14-4 heading into the 5th.
After LETU made the score 14-5 in the top of the 5th, David Berzins answered with a laser over the center field wall that scored Varrichio to make the game 16-5.
The visiting YellowJackets weren't quite done as they scored three in the 6th to make it 16-8 and and then six in the 7th to make it a two run ball game at 16-14. Bryant Chambers and Kory Owen teamed up to seal the win tossing a scoreless 8th and 9th for the Jackets.
Howard Payne tallied 18 hits, four of those belonging to Joey Villarreal. Rylee McGee had four RBIs followed by RJ Roberts and Noah Coronado with three apiece.
Kyle Purdes got the nod and tossed five innings allowing five runs, three earned, eight hits while striking out five. Johnny Cravey tossed one inning then Ty Garner and Seth Brody saw some time on the mound as well. Bryant Chamber threw a perfect 8th inning, striking out one, and Kory Owen earned his second save of the weekend in the 9th striking out two.
The Jackets stay even at 7-7, 4-2 in ASC play, and will gear up to head to Richardson, Texas next weekend to battle the Comets of UT Dallas. You can find links to live stats and video at HPUSports.com.
