University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Athletics

Box Score

Waxahachie, TX – The offense came to life in the late innings and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team held on for an 8-6 victory over Southwestern Assemblies of God University in the 2010 season opener Tuesday night in Waxahachie. The Cru is now 1-0 to start the season. The loss drops the Lions to 0-1 on the year.

            UMHB would grab a 2-0 lead when Seth Lynn blasted a two-run homer in the top of the second inning. SAGU battled back to tie the game at two before Josh Fredrick doubled home Joseph Villegas to give the Cru a 3-2 lead. The Lions scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 5-3 lead. UMHB cut it to 5-4 when Marshall Coots was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth. Andrew White gave the Cru the lead for good with a three-run double to make it a 7-5 ball-game. Ryan Moreau’s bunt single drove in Ryan Swindell with an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning and the Cru held off SAGU’s comeback try in the bottom of the ninth to clinch the win. Kendall Kusak picked up his first collegiate win with one and two-thirds innings of relief work. Charles Oddo closed things out in the ninth to earn his first save of the year. Joseph Villegas had two hits for the Cru to push his career total to 206 and he moved to within two hits of tying Willard O’Neal’s UMHB career record of 208 hits.

            The Cru will now return to action with a trip to Tyler for three games at the Easton Classic on Friday and Saturday. UMHB will open the tournament with a 6:00 PM start against tournament host U.T.-Tyler on Friday evening.