BELTON, Texas – Facing early deficits in both games, the LeTourneau University baseball team would be unable to mount comebacks in either game of a pair of 4-2 and 7-5 losses to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor at Red Murff Field in Belton, Texas on Saturday, March 17th.
 
LETU falls to 12-10 overall and 5-4 in the American Southwest Conference with the losses while the Crusaders improved to 8-12 overall and 5-4 in conference play.
 
Game One:
Offense would be problematic in a game one loss for the YellowJackets, finding themselves limited to just six total hits in the game and scoring just two runs. UMHB used a three-run second inning to open up an early lead and added an insurance run in the fourth before surrendering a pair of runs to LeTourneau in the fifth, but saw the sixth and seventh innings go scoreless as the Cru evened the weekend series at one game apiece.
 
The two-run fifth inning for LETU saw both runs come with two outs in the inning, as Jacob Jones would draw a walk before seeing singles by Carson Dickey, Eli Birriel, and Lee Hosie cut the Mary Hardin-Baylor lead in half. A pitching change for the Crusaders would make the difference however, ending the inning on a fielder's choice to cease the rally. One last chance for the YellowJackets appeared in the top of the seventh with Dickey hitting a two out double which would be followed up by a walk for Birriel. With the game-tying run on first, UMHB would get a strikeout to end the game in similar fashion to how LeTourneau ended last night's win to send things to a game-three rubber match.
 
Dickey's two hits led LETU in the twin bill opener, also scoring one run while Birriel and Hosie each drove in one run. Opportunities would be limited throughout for LeTourneau, stranding a total of six runners while collecting just one extra-base hit. On the mound, Andrew Harlan fell to 1-2 overall this year after pitching five innings and allowing four runs on seven hits while issuing three free passes and striking out one. Ryder Lognion made a one-inning relief appearance, and allowed just one base runner to the three batters he faced.
 
Game Two:
Another big deficit for LETU made for tough sledding in game two as the Cru would use a three run first inning to go along with single runs in the second and third to take a 5-0 lead after three innings of play. Inning-ending double plays also played the role of spoiler for LeTourneau early on, seeing the top of the third, fourth, and fifth innings all end with double plays that would erase chances to get on the scoreboard and cut into the UMHB lead.
 
The YellowJackets would finally manage to cut into the lead in the top of the sixth with two runs on a single hit while taking advantage of a leadoff walk and pair of wild pitches as Bubba Valdez would drive in Will Bradshaw on a sacrifice fly. Hosie would come around to score on the second wild pitch of the inning to score the second run of the inning, but nothing more would be in order for LETU in the inning. LeTourneau kept things going in the seventh by scoring Jones on an RBI single from Bradshaw, but saw the Cru score one run of their own in the bottom of the seventh to keep the deficit at three runs.  
 
LETU used a Hosie leadoff double in the top of the eighth to again pull within two runs at 4-6 as a one out error allowed for Hosie to score, but see Mary Hardin-Baylor find a way to scratch across another run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth which left the YellowJackets to face a three-run deficit with just one inning left in the game. Despite a solo home run from Jones to give Letourneau something to build on with one out in the top of the ninth, LETU would be unable to find the runs necessary as the Cru managed to win by two runs.
 
Hosie's three-for-five effort allowed for the junior to also score a team-high two runs while Jones and Bradshaw each collected two hits to combine for four of LeTourneau's 10 in the game. Hosie, Brandon Ramirez, and Jones all had one double in the game, with the ninth-inning home run by Jones winding up as the only long ball of the weekend for the YellowJackets.
 
Junior Nate Hoelker dropped his first decision of the year, falling to 3-1 overall after lasting just two and two-thirds innings and allowing five runs on eight hits. Bryce Brueggemeyer came on in relief, lasting five innings and allowing one run while striking out two while Valdez recorded the final out defensively for LETU with a groundout in the only batter he faced on the afternoon.
 
Due to an odd-number of teams in the American Southwest Conference, LeTourneau will have a bye-week next weekend which means the YellowJackets will next be in action on Tuesday, March 27th. LETU will play Wiley College in a single, nine-inning non-conference game at 7 p.m. from Conrad-Vernon Field to open up a season-long seven-game home stand.