BB: ASC: American Southwest Conference

TexasBB · March 07, 2009, 12:03:10 AM

From the Mississippi web site:

CLINTON, MS - The Mississippi College Choctaws lost 11-6 to LeTourneau University Friday night at Frierson Field. The loss drops the Choctaws to 6-7 this season, with LeTourneau improving to 4-7 with the win.

TexasBB · March 07, 2009, 12:08:32 AM

From the HSU website:

Cowboys Hold Off McMurry

Boxscore

ABILENE, Texas - Hardin-Simmons opened American Southwest Conference play with a 10-9 win over crosstown rival McMurry Friday night at Hunter Field in Abilene.

HSU used a seven run third inning that proved to be the difference in the game and relief ace Kyle Barton shut the door on McMurry in the final two and one-third innings.

The Cowboys jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. J.T. Armstrong led off the inning with a double and scored on a Taylor Berlin RBI single. McMurry took the lead in the top of the third on a two-run home run by Tre Lipps.

HSU then exploded for seven runs on eight hits to chase McMurry starter Dakota Smith in the bottom of the third. Matt Roam had a two-run home run in the inning, Regan Dixon added a solo shot and Berlin had a two-run single. Jaxon Jordan capped the scoring in the inning with a two-run double to right.

McMurry added a solo home run by Jake Mullin in the fourth inning and Lips and Stephen Derrick had solo shots in the fifth to narrow the HSU lead to 8-5. HSU responded with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Jordan had another RBI double and then moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out by Kevin Ellison.

It stayed that way until the top of the seventh when McMurry got a three-run home run by Mullin to make it 10-8. HSU went to relief ace Kyle Barton and he struck out pitch-hitter Matt Thompson to end the seventh with runners on first and second.

McMurry had three straight singles, including the fifth hit of the night by Lips and the fourth by Mullin to score a run. Mullin's hit drove in the run. Barton then got Nathan Jackson on a strikeout to end the inning with two runners on base. He then worked a 1-2-3 ninth with a pair of strikeouts.

Barton went two and one-third innings of relief and struck out five to pick up his fourth save of the year.

Freshman Zach Hewitt stabilized the game on the mound for McMurry with three and two-third innings of two-run relief.

Weeks, Armstrong, Berlin, Gage and Jordan all had two hits for the Cowboys.

Lipps was 5-for-5 with three RBIs and two home runs and Jake Mullin was 4-for-5 with five RBIs.

HSU is now 9-6 on the year and 1-0 in league play. McMurry fell to 7-5 overall and 0-1 in league play. The teams will play a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Hunter Field on Saturday.

dp643 · March 07, 2009, 12:12:32 AM

UMHB tops Sul Ross 7-4. Jared Hopper goes the distance with 14 K's is all the update I got. I know Javier Arreitta hit a 2 run homer for the Lobos as well.

Ralph Turner · March 07, 2009, 09:43:36 AM

If Barton is the key to the HSU season, then a strong reliever can carry a good team with decent starting pitching in this conference.

The HR's were flying out last night with the south wind.

dp643 · March 07, 2009, 09:46:04 AM

I think we can come to the conclusion that no one will run away with the west this year. I think we can safely assume there will be a quality team left out of the conference tourney this year as well. Today's games are going to be very interesting.

Ralph Turner · March 07, 2009, 09:53:39 AM

Quote from: dp643 on March 07, 2009, 09:46:04 AM
I think we can come to the conclusion that no one will run away with the west this year. I think we can safely assume there will be a quality team left out of the conference tourney this year as well. Today's games are going to be very interesting.

Lots of great baseball in store for us this season.

You have forewarned everyone, dp643.

There is no margin for error.

dp643 · March 07, 2009, 10:04:35 AM

Exactly, and no room for error in losing to teams you should beat as well. I still can't believe McMurry dropped 2 of three last year to Sul Ross. No disrespect intended.

Ralph Turner · March 07, 2009, 10:12:09 AM

Quote from: dp643 on March 07, 2009, 10:04:35 AM
Exactly, and no room for error in losing to teams you should beat as well. I still can't believe McMurry dropped 2 of three last year to Sul Ross. No disrespect intended.

You may recall that the SRSU coach was retiring after that (season-ending) series.

Lots of emotion and motivation to carry a team to a higher level of play.

What's the old saying...

QuoteNo matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference.

Tommy Lasorda

dp643 · March 07, 2009, 02:51:37 PM

TLU 2 Concordia 1.

Ryan Nokelby hit a 2 run HR in the bottom of the 6th which ended up being the game winner.

Johnson had 6 K's for Concordia giving up 6 hits. Orosey gets the win to imprrove to 3-0 for TLU striking out 7 while allowing 6 hits as well.

Nokelby was 2-2. Game lasted an hour and a half.

Very interesting outcome especially since Hull will be on the hill game three.

McMurry up 7-0 on Hardin Simmons and Sul Ross up early on UMHB 2-1.

dp643 · March 07, 2009, 03:54:48 PM

UMHB drops game one to Sul Ross 4-1. This is going to be a crazy season.

Ralph Turner · March 07, 2009, 04:21:08 PM

McM 15 HSU 9 (final) in the first game.

Blackcat00 · March 07, 2009, 06:20:56 PM

TLU takes the series. Looks like the offense on both sides was kept in this planet. Concordia baserunning really cost them the two huge ballgames. Pitching was stellar on both sides.

Ralph Turner · March 07, 2009, 07:05:54 PM

HSU got a 3-run HR in the bottom of the 7th. HSU has scored 11 runs, 5 unearned.

Defense is killing us. HSU batting in the bottom of the 8th. 11-9.

What type of game is it at HSU?

McM 2B Nathan Love had no HR's in 154 AB's last season.

He gets a 3-run homer to right with 2 out in the top of the 9th. HSU 15-McM 13. Final.

TexasBB · March 07, 2009, 07:49:45 PM

I have to believe a strong south wind impacted the game 15-13 is certainly not a defensive struggle.

The two teams combined for 31 hits. McMurrey's 5 errors were probably the deciding factor as HSU only had 2. Neither team showed much depth in their bullpens. These two losses really hurt McM. Even though the season is young they now have 6 losses in the region which probably keeps them out of a pool play selection. What they must do now is regroup and make sure they get into the conference tourney. The need to take one step at a time. Getting in must now be the main goal. The west is tough and tight. Texas Luthern now looks like it will be a force to reckon with. It is way to early to make predictions. But it is looking like it might be like last year and come down to the final week of the season.

The east looks more predictible with UTT and UTD the likely leaders. The battle will be for the other playoff spots. LetU surprised me by beating MC yesterday.

TexasBB · March 09, 2009, 10:13:33 PM

Oh my God!? UTT Tyler and HSU combine for 42 hits and 12 HR in an unbelievable 26-16 game. HSU scored 10 runs in the first inning!! But UTT came back and won by 10 runs!! Talk about a wind assisted ball game. This is totally ridiculous. When I saw the score I thought it was a mistake and I was looking at a football game. But UTT doesn't play football.

I thought the score in the McM and HSU game on Sat was crazy but this takes it to another level. HSU did not help themselves committing 6 errors to UTT's 1. But the pitchers all got hammered and each team used 5.