BELTON, Texas – LeTourneau University's baseball team opened American Southwest Conference play with a doubleheader sweep at Mary Hardin-Baylor Friday. The YellowJackets won the first game, 1-0, before claiming the nightcap, 4-1.

LETU's opening game starter Raul Martinez fanned a career-high nine batters, and allowed four hits and three walks in five shutout innings. Jedidiah Crone worked the final two innings, allowing two hits and a walk, while striking out two to complete the shutout and pick up the save.

The YellowJackets (3-1, 2-0 ASC) scratched out the game's only run when Bryce Brueggemeyer scored on a balk in the fourth inning.

Brueggemeyer was 2-for-3 with a stolen base. Noah Arellano had the Jackets' only other hit in a game dictated by pitching.

None was sharper than Martinez, who earned his first victory since 2019 after the coronavirus pandemic limited him to just one inning last season. Martinez struck out the first four batters he faced, and five of the first seven. He fanned three batters in the fourth, working out of a one-out jam with runners on second and third when he retired Brandon Madden and Rhett Grosz on strikes. He got Hunter McQuary to fly out to right with two runners on base to end the third.

Crone retired the first three batters he faced when he came on in the sixth, keeping a lock on the one-run lead. In the seventh, with runners on first and third to open the inning, he coaxed a comebacker to the mound off the bat of Dawson Shibley, cutting down the runner at the plate. After a groundout moved runners to second and third, he intentionally walked Caimyn Holiday to load the bases, and then struck out McQuary to end the game.

UMHB's Jeb Zolman suffered the hard-luck loss after giving up three hits, two walks and a run, while striking out 10 in 5 1/3 innings.

In the second game, LETU scored twice in the seventh to take a 2-1 lead. Arellano singled up the middle to drive in a run. Kyle Maysonave's RBI single to left scored Arellano, who went 2-for-3. Jaggar Vaughn's two-run single down the left field line added a pair of insurance runs as the Jackets completed the doubleheader sweep.

Carter Amarantos went 2-for-5. Cody Stanley was 2-for-4. Brueggemeyer was 1-for-4 with a double. Vaughn went 1-for-4 with two RBI. Dylan Cortes was 1-for-4.

Jared Schurig went six innings, allowing four hits, a run and no walks, while striking out five to pick up his first win of the season. Kolton Eberlan, Ethan Stubanas, Cade Smitherman and Austin Bryan combined for three innings of scoreless relief. Bryan worked the final inning and a third, giving up a hit and two walks, and struck out three to collect the save.

UMHB's Andrew Acierni went eight innings, allowing six hits, two runs, one earned, and a walk, while fanning eight in the loss.

The Jackets and Cru's series finale has been moved back to 1 p.m. Saturday.