GAME 1 | Howard Payne 14, Blackburn 13
BROWNWOOD, Texas --The Howard Payne Yellow Jackets rallied to score three in the seventh inning and walked it off with Hunter Rasnick-Pope at the plate to pick up the 14-13 win over the Blackburn Beavers Saturday.
T. Rangel (1-1) got the win out of the bullpen for Howard Payne (5-8). The right-hander went one shutout inning without giving up a hit, one walk and striking out one.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Yellow Jackets got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the bottom of the first inning. Howard Payne's offense started clicking and put up four runs, including a one-run double off the bat of Rasnick-Pope.
The Beavers then tied the ballgame at four before the Yellow Jackets came back to reclaim their advantage in the third inning. Howard Payne scored three runs in the frame, buoyed by a two-run single off the bat of G. Pfaff, which brought the score to 7-4 in favor of the Yellow Jackets.
Howard Payne's lead had evaporated once the fifth inning arrived and turned into an 8-7 Blackburn advantage, when the Yellow Jackets re-gained control at 11-8. The Yellow Jackets got a grand slam from Seth Bowman off B. Kasprowic to cash in four runs in the frame.
Blackburn then rallied to take a 13-11 lead before Howard Payne scored three runs in the bottom half of the seventh to grab the win, walking it off when W. Burford came across to score.
GAME NOTES
» Burford collected four hits on the day for Howard Payne.
» The Yellow Jackets power output was led by Burford, who had two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Bowman drove in four runs for Howard Payne.
» Every Howard Payne starter reached base safely in the win.
» Howard Payne's highest scoring inning was the fifth, when it pushed four runs across.
» Howard Payne went 6-for-18 (.333) with runners in scoring position.
» Howard Payne pitchers faced 44 Blackburn hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and three fly balls while striking out five.
» The Yellow Jackets drew eight walks from Blackburn pitching.
» Bowman led the Yellow Jackets at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a home run and four RBI.
» Blackburn was led offensively by D. Medrano, who went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI.
GAME 2 | Howard Payne 11, Blackburn 9
BROWNWOOD, Texas --W. Burford and S. Bowman each racked up three hits to help power the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets past the Blackburn Beavers 11-9 on Saturday.
J. Martinez (1-0) got the win out of the bullpen for Howard Payne (6-8). The right-hander went 0.1 shutout innings without giving up a hit, one walk and striking out one. C. Serf started the ballgame and went six innings, surrendering two runs, both earned, on four hits, walking three and striking out seven.
In addition to his three hits, Bowman had a double, a walk and two RBI to lead the Yellow Jackets. Burford added an RBI to his three-hit performance as well. J. Earle also chipped in for Howard Payne, putting together two hits in four trips to the plate while adding a walk and an RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Yellow Jackets were trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning when they first put runs on the board. Howard Payne's offense started clicking and put up nine runs, including a two-run single off the bat of L. Prestage and a two-run double from Bowman.
After the Beavers rallied to tie the ballgame at nine, the Yellow Jackets came back to retake the lead in the eighth inning. B. Franks' run-scoring single highlighted an inning where Howard Payne scored twice, which brought the Yellow Jackets lead to 11-9. The score remained 11-9 for the rest of the game, as Howard Payne held on for the win.
GAME NOTES
» Howard Payne got three-hit games from both Bowman and Burford.
» Serf struck out seven Beavers hitters.
» Howard Payne's highest scoring inning was the fourth, when it pushed nine runs across.
» Serf put together six innings of two-run ball for the Yellow Jackets.
» Four Yellow Jackets had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Yellow Jackets out-hit the Beavers at a 14-8 clip.
» Howard Payne went 9-for-17 (.529) with runners in scoring position.
» The Yellow Jackets got three hits in five at-bats with the bases loaded.
» Howard Payne pitchers faced 45 Blackburn hitters in the game, allowing 10 ground balls and five fly balls while striking out 11.
» The Yellow Jackets drew six walks from Blackburn pitching.
» Bowman led the Yellow Jackets at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI.
» Blackburn was led offensively by A. Medina, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
» J. Wolf led the Beavers pitching staff, throwing 3.1 innings of six-run ball.
