Above image of Hunter McQuary by CJ Halloran/@cjhall_photography
BELTON, Texas- UMHB’s bats stayed red-hot for all 14 innings, as the Cru swept Schreiner in a doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon.
Both contests spanned seven innings, with UMHB earning a 5-4 win in game one and a 4-2 victory in game two. The Mountaineers, a member of the SCAC conference, are now 5-6 on the year, while the Crusaders improve to 5-7.
Catcher Hunter McQuary was the star of game one for the Cru, going four-for-four at the plate, with one run and one RBI. The lone RBI gave UMHB a walk-off win, as McQuary drove a pitch from Schreiner’s Raine Uecker up the middle for a base hit with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, scoring Jeb Zolman from third.
The Cru struck first, as left fielder Kaden deBerardinis swatted a double in the third, scoring center fielder Dawson Shibley from second to give UMHB a 1-0 lead. The Moutaineers’ Jeffrey Williams countered, though, with a two-run home run off UMHB starter Alex Palczewski in the top of the fourth to put Schreiner in front 2-1.
Trailing 4-3 in the top of the seventh, Schreiner made the most of its final scoring opportunity, using an error from Zolman at third base to push pinch hitter Aiden Warren across with one out.
Of course, the Cru would win in the bottom of the frame behind McQuary’s clutch single.
Reliever Zack Honey earned the victory for the Cru, as the Round Rock, Texas native entered the game with two outs in the fifth and finished the game for UMHB, allowing one hit and a walk in 2.1 innings of work.
The Crusaders used the game-one, walk-off momentum to propel them in the second game, as right fielder Mateo Calle pulled a single through the right side of the infield in the first, scoring Zolman to put UMHB in front 1-0. Schreiner responded with a run in both the third and fifth inning, before UMHB pushed three across in the final two innings to seal the win. Two of those came in the fifth, as Zolman doubled and Calle followed two batters later with a homer to left-center field.
Calle finished the second game 2-for-3 with three RBI and hit only homer of the contest. Second baseman Rhett Grosz and left fielder Hunter Jones also finished 2-for-3 at the plate. UMHB starter Logan Pace fired four innings, and allowed just one earned run, two hits and two walks. He also struck out four. Once again, it was a reliever earning the win for the Cru, as Zach Carroll allowed just two hits through three innings. The only run with Carroll on the mound came as the result of a passed ball, charged to catcher Daylon Nebgen.
UMHB’s weekend conference series against Ozarks was canceled due to Covid-19 protocols, but the Cru’s week is far from over. A familiar opponent will battle the team on Wednesday in Kerrville, Texas, as the Crusaders travel for a noon doubleheader at Schreiner.
