TUCSON, AZ -- Howard Payne received contributions from every part of their lineup, as all nine starters reached base safely, but the Yellow Jackets fell to the Gustavus Adolphus Gusties 15-5 on Thursday.

Gary Blair (0-3) came out of the bullpen for Howard Payne (6-7) and took the loss. Jack Shackelford was a bright spot for the Yellow Jackets, coming out of the bullpen as well and throwing one scoreless inning, allowing no hits, with no walks and two strikeouts.

John Garza led the way offensively for the Yellow Jackets, going 1-for-4 in the ballgame with a triple and three RBI. Seth Bowman furnished a standout effort as well, going 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI. Tanner Benson also contributed, going 3-for-4 for Howard Payne.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Yellow Jackets got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the top of the first inning. Howard Payne's offense started clicking and put up five runs, including a three-run triple off the bat of Garza. The Yellow Jackets were unable to hold the lead, as Gustavus Adolphus scored 15 times over the remaining seven innings to grab the 15-5 win.

GAME NOTES
» Benson led the Yellow Jackets, amassing three base knocks in the ballgame.
» Every Yellow Jackets starter reached base safely in the loss.
» Howard Payne's highest scoring inning was the first, when it pushed five runs across.
» Howard Payne went 4-for-8 (.500) with runners in scoring position.
» Howard Payne pitchers faced 47 Gustavus Adolphus hitters in the game, allowing 10 ground balls and five fly balls while striking out five.
» Garza led the Yellow Jackets at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a triple and three RBI.
» Gustavus Adolphus was led offensively by D. Siens, who went 5-for-5 with two home runs and six RBI.
» M. Casperson led the Gusties pitching staff, throwing six scoreless innings.

The Yellow Jackets will look ahead to game two of the Tucson Invitational as they take on Carthage College with first pitch set for 7:00 PM MT.