Kerrville, Texas -- The Howard Payne Yellow Jackets struggled in their season opener on Friday, falling to the Schreiner Mountaineers by a final score of 16-4.
Senior Gary Blair (0-1) started and took the loss on the mound for Howard Payne (0-1). Junior Jack Shackelford was a bright spot out of the bullpen, pitching one shutout inning without allowing a hit, walking none and striking out one.
Offensively, the Yellow Jackets were led by junior Jackson Earle, who went 2-for-3 on the day with a home run, a walk and an RBI. Junior Grant Pfaff put together a standout effort as well, going 2-for-4.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Yellow Jackets were trailing 1-0 in the second inning when they first put runs on the board. Earle put Howard Payne on the board with a two-out solo home run off junior Fito Mendez.
The Mountaineers then scored eight runs to retake their advantage heading into the seventh inning, when the Yellow Jackets responded by getting back on the scoreboard themselves. Junior Landon Prestage came across to score the lone run of the inning for Howard Payne, which tightened the Mountaineers lead to 9-2.
Schreiner expanded their lead to 10-2 before the Howard Payne offense got back to work, reducing that lead to 10-4 in the eighth. The Yellow Jackets were unable to get any closer, as Schreiner added six runs to their tally on the way to a 16-4 final.
GAME NOTES
» Howard Payne's highest-scoring inning was the eighth when it pushed two runs across.
» Howard Payne went 3-for-8 (.375) with runners in scoring position.
» Howard Payne pitchers faced 48 Schreiner hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out eight.
» Earle led the Yellow Jackets at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI.
» Schreiner was led offensively by senior Tyler Juarez, who went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI.
» Mendez led the Mountaineers pitching staff, throwing seven innings of two-run ball.
The Yellow Jackets will stay in Kerrville, Texas as they will partake in a doubleheader versus Schreiner on Saturday with games set for 12:00 and 3:00 PM.
