GAME 1 | Howard Payne 2, Mary Hardin-Baylor 15
BROWNWOOD, Texas --The Howard Payne Yellow Jackets got a boost from N. Gulamhusein, who strung together three hits in a 15-2 loss to the Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders Wednesday.
B. Chambers (1-5) started and took the loss on the mound for Howard Payne (7-24, 0-9). B. Morasco was a bright spot out of the bullpen, going one shutout inning while allowing one hit, walking none and striking out one.
Gulamhusein's three-hit day led the Yellow Jackets offensively. S. Bowman put together a standout day at the dish as well, going 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. W. Burford also contributed for Howard Payne, putting together one hit in two trips to the plate while adding a double, a walk and an RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Trailing 6-0, the Yellow Jackets first put runs on the board in the third inning. Howard Payne got an RBI single from Bowman, scoring G. Pfaff from third base.
The Crusaders expanded their lead to 9-1 before the Yellow Jackets offense got back to work, cutting into that lead in the eighth. Howard Payne pushed across a run on Burford's two-out RBI double, which brought the score to 9-2 in favor of the Crusaders. The Yellow Jackets were unable to get any closer, as Mary Hardin-Baylor added six runs to their tally on the way to a 15-2 final.
GAME NOTES
» Gulamhusein led the Yellow Jackets, compiling three base hits in the ballgame.
» Howard Payne's highest scoring inning was the eighth, when it pushed one run across.
» Howard Payne pitchers faced 52 Mary Hardin-Baylor hitters in the game, allowing five ground balls and 10 fly balls while striking out 10.
» Bowman led the Yellow Jackets at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
» Mary Hardin-Baylor was led offensively by C. Hagan, who went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple and three RBI.
» K. McBee led the Crusaders pitching staff, throwing six innings of one-run ball.
GAME 2 | Howard Payne 8, Mary Hardin-Baylor 9
BROWNWOOD, Texas --Senior L. Prestage put together an outstanding outing at the plate Thursday, hitting two homers, but the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets fell to the Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders 9-8.
Junior D. Bower (1-5) started and took the loss on the mound for Howard Payne (7-25, 0-10). Junior K. Kuligowsk was a bright spot out of the bullpen, going 1.2 shutout innings while allowing one hit, walking one and striking out four.
Prestage went 2-for-3 at the plate, supplementing his two home runs with three RBIs. Senior S. Bowman added to Prestage's awesome power-hitting performance by going 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI. Senior W. Burford also helped out for the Yellow Jackets, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Yellow Jackets got the scoring started early, putting two runs on the board in the bottom the first inning with the game still scoreless. Howard Payne scored twice on a two-run double off the bat of junior J. Garza.
The Yellow Jackets then held the Crusaders scoreless before expanding their lead in the third inning. Howard Payne scored three runs in the frame, buoyed by a two-run homer from Prestage, which brought the Yellow Jackets lead to 5-0.
Howard Payne's lead had evaporated once the fourth inning arrived and turned into a 6-5 Mary Hardin-Baylor advantage, when the Yellow Jackets evened up the game at six.
The Crusaders broke the tie and grabbed the lead heading into the sixth inning, when Howard Payne got back on the scoreboard. The Yellow Jackets picked up a run on Prestage's leadoff home run off senior R. Cromie, bringing the score to 9-7 in favor of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
The Yellow Jackets held the Crusaders off the scoredboard before getting within 9-8 in the seventh. Howard Payne scored a run on an RBI triple off the bat of Bowman, scoring senior G. Pfaff. The Yellow Jackets were unable to get any closer, as neither team scored again in the ballgame.
GAME NOTES
» Howard Payne got a two-homer day from Prestage.
» Howard Payne's power output was led by Prestage, who had two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Howard Payne's highest scoring inning was the third, when it pushed three runs across.
» Howard Payne went 4-for-9 (.444) with runners in scoring position.
» Howard Payne pitchers limited Mary Hardin-Baylor to just 2-for-11 (.182) with runners in scoring position.
» Howard Payne pitchers faced 40 Mary Hardin-Baylor hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and four fly balls while striking out 10.
» Prestage led the Yellow Jackets at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI.
» Mary Hardin-Baylor was led offensively by senior C. Hagan, who went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBI.
GAME 3 | Howard Payne 7, Mary Hardin-Baylor 3
BROWNWOOD, Texas --The Howard Payne Yellow Jackets took a 3-1 lead in the third inning and never surrendered the advantage on the way to a 7-3 victory against the Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders on Thursday.
C. Serf (3-3) got the win for Howard Payne (8-25, 1-10). The right-hander went 7.1 innings, giving up three runs, all of them earned, on eight hits, allowing three walks and striking out three. T. Rangel also pitched well, going 1.2 shutout innings while allowing one hit, walking none and striking out two.
Offensively, the Yellow Jackets were paced by S. Bowman, who went 3-for-4 on the day with a home run and an RBI. L. Prestage put together a standout performance as well, going 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. W. Burford also helped out for Howard Payne, putting together one hit in four trips to the plate while adding a home run and an RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Yellow Jackets were trailing 1-0 in the third inning when they first put runs on the board. Howard Payne scored three runs in the frame, highlighted by a two-run homer from Prestage.
The Crusaders failed to push any runs across before the Yellow Jackets offense got back to their scoring ways the next inning. Howard Payne pushed across a run on H. Rasnick-P's one-out RBI double, which brought the Yellow Jackets lead to 4-1.
Mary Hardin-Baylor narrowed Howard Payne's lead to 4-3 before the Yellow Jackets stretched the advantage to 5-3 in the sixth inning.
Howard Payne held the Crusaders scoreless before their offense got back to their scoring ways the next inning. The Yellow Jackets scored twice on solo home runs from Bowman and Burford, bringing the score to 7-3 in favor of Howard Payne. The score remained 7-3 for the rest of the game, as the Yellow Jackets coasted to the win.
GAME NOTES
» Bowman had three base knocks in the game for Howard Payne.
» The Yellow Jackets power output was led by D. Smith, who had two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Howard Payne's highest scoring inning was the third, when it pushed three runs across.
» Howard Payne grabbed the lead at 3-1 in the bottom half of the third and never lost that advantage.
» Howard Payne hitters hit three dingers in the ballgame.
» The Yellow Jackets out-hit the Crusaders at a 12-9 clip.
» Howard Payne pitchers faced 35 Mary Hardin-Baylor hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and 12 fly balls while striking out five.
» Bowman led the Yellow Jackets at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.
» Mary Hardin-Baylor was led offensively by C. Talburt, who went 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.
» I. Brann led the Crusaders pitching staff, throwing 1.1 scoreless innings.
GAME 4 | Howard Payne 3, Mary Hardin-Baylor 5 (SENIOR DAY)
BROWNWOOD, Texas --Though they had plenty of opportunities, Howard Payne struggled to cash them in, leaving 11 Yellow Jackets on base in a 5-3 loss at the hands of the Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders on Friday.
J. Shackelford (0-1) got the ball to start for Howard Payne (8-26, 1-11) and took the loss. The right-hander went 7.1 innings, giving up four runs, two earned, on seven hits, allowing one walk and striking out six. An all around great performance for his last start at the Don.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Yellow Jackets got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the bottom the first inning with the game still scoreless. Howard Payne got an RBI single from S. Bowman, scoring G. Pfaff from second base.
The Crusaders then rallied to score two runs and take a 2-1 lead before the Yellow Jackets got back on the board in the fourth. Howard Payne scored once on an RBI single off the bat of D. Smith, which brought the score level at 2-2.
That 2-2 tie turned into a 3-2 Howard Payne lead in the fifth. The Yellow Jackets were unable to hold the lead, as Mary Hardin-Baylor scored three times over the remaining four innings to grab the 5-3 win.
GAME NOTES
» Howard Payne's highest scoring inning was the fifth, when it pushed one run across.
» Howard Payne left 11 runners stranded on base in the loss.
» Howard Payne pitchers limited Mary Hardin-Baylor to just 2-for-13 (.154) with runners in scoring position.
» Howard Payne pitchers faced 42 Mary Hardin-Baylor hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and 13 fly balls while striking out seven.
» The Yellow Jackets drew four walks from Mary Hardin-Baylor pitching.
» Smith led the Yellow Jackets at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
» Mary Hardin-Baylor was led offensively by A. Birkhoff, who went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
» J. Haynes led the Crusaders pitching staff, throwing four innings of one-run ball.
