There was plenty that occurred this past weekend in UMHB athletics as baseball, softball, basketball, tennis all competed, and picked up victories early in the spring. We will recap it all for you in this quick weekend review. Be sure to follow our coverage on Twitter at @TrueToTheCru, and right here on the website, where we will have plenty of ASC Tournament basketball coverage this week.
UMHB baseball struggles in road series at McMurry
ABILENE- On the road for the first time this season, the UMHB baseball team kept its three games close, but only came away with one victory, losing the series to conference foe McMurry, who entered the weekend winless in conference play.
The series opener Friday night was highlighted by starter James McGlumphy’s six-inning outing, which earned the freshman his first victory of the year, striking out six. He did allow three earned runs, but the relief pitching of Alex Palczewski and Trevor Ripke compensated for that, as did the Cru’s performance at the plate. Caimyn Holiday, Malek Bolin, Rhett Grosz and Kaden deBerardinis each had two hits in the 8-3 win, which moved UMHB to 3-1 on the year.
After scoring three runs in the fourth inning, the Crusaders added three more in the fifth, two of which were scored on Hunter Jones’ home run to left field with one out. It was the second homer of the inning, as Holiday, the inning’s first batter, took one over the left field wall with a 3-1 count.
But in Saturday’s doubleheader, the pitching faltered. A high-scoring duel in game two resulted in an 8-7 McMurry win, as the Warhawks tallied 14 hits and scored in every inning but the fifth. The seven-inning contest saw UMHB push four across in the sixth, tying the score at seven, but McMurry earned a walk-off win in the bottom of the seventh. The Cru was unable to complete a double-play with runners on the corners, as Dylan Abbott scored from third base.
In a much lower-scoring series finale, McMurry captured the series victory with a 3-1 win, despite two errors. UMHB took a 1-0 lead in the second, but was held scoreless for the next seven frames. Abbott again scored the go-ahead run for the Warhawks, this time in the third inning, as McMurry took a 2-1 advantage and held onto the lead.
UMHB hosts Texas Lutheran in a three-game non-conference series beginning Friday at 6 p.m. in Belton. A doubleheader on Saturday will follow for the Cru, who are now 3-3 in ASC play.
Men’s Tennis earns first win of season
BELTON- After opening the season with consecutive 9-0 defeats, the Cru captured its first victory of the spring season, downing ETBU, 7-2. UMHB swept doubles play, including a narrow 8-7 win for Diego Martinez and Robert Galligan, for three set victories. Martinez and Gallgian each won their singles matches, as did Brylee White and Alejandro Omana.
UMHB resumes play on Feb. 25 hosting Covenant College at 1 p.m. in Belton.
Women’s Tennis earns narrow win over ETBU on home court
BELTON- The Crusaders got in the win column for the first time this season on Friday afternoon, edging past ETBU in a narrow 5-4 victory. UMHB swept the doubles matches and singles victories from Adrianna McElwain and Chloe Norris were enough to claim the win. The Cru did drop its Saturday morning duel with Weatherford College, 9-0, moving to 1-3 this spring. The team travels to Texas Wesleyan on Feb. 26 for a 1 p.m. match.
UMHB softball sweeps McMurry
BELTON- After dropping its first conference series at Hardin-Simmons a week ago, the UMHB softball team responded with a series sweep of McMurry, moving to 5-3 in ASC action.
Playing on its home field, the Cru began the Friday afternoon doubleheader with a 3-0 shutout, as freshman Emilee Wade fired a complete game, five-hit performance. The game’s scoring highlight came in the second inning, when Lexi Harris recorded an inside-the-park home run that came as the result of an error on McMurry third baseman Emily Michki, and scored two runs.
Less than an hour later, UMHB came back and posted another exceptional victory, winning 4-2. Starting pitcher Bayleigh Grogan recorded just one inning before Tarleton State transfer Rachel Williams came on in relief, throwing six innings with just one earned run.
In Saturday’s series finale, Milly Cesare recorded an RBI on her lone base hit of the day, tying the score at one apiece in the third inning, before Elisabeth Paul drove her in on a double in the next at-bat, for the go-ahead run. UMHB protected the lead, as pitchers Williams and Wade combined for just three hits allowed. Cesare, the team’s starting shortstop, has now tallied seven hits in the last five games.
UMHB plays four games in two days next weekend, battling Schreiner in a Friday doubleheader, prior to Saturday’s doubleheader at Trinity in San Antonio.
No. 9 UMHB men’s hoops closes regular season with a pair of wins
UMHB men’s basketball, ranked No. 9 in the nation, played to its standards in victories over Belhaven and ETBU, finishing the regular season at 22-2 overall. Josiah Johnson led the Cru in scoring in both contests, tallying 31 points against Belhaven and 34 on Saturday in a 94-90 win over ETBU.
The Cru hosts the ASC Tournament this week on its home court, beginning Thursday. UMHB battles No. 8 seed Concordia at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night.
To read more about the Cru’s victories that closed out the regular season, check out the links below:
UMHB men’s basketball overcomes halftime deficit, takes down Belhaven
UMHB men’s basketball defeats ETBU 94-90
No. 14 UMHB women’s hoops defeats Belhaven, falls to ETBU
The UMHB women’s basketball team used a strong fourth quarter to get past Belhaven on Thursday, but fell for the first time since November in Saturday’s Top 25 matchup against ETBU. The Tigers shot 44 percent from the field en route to the 71-57 victory. UMHB carried a 20-game win streak into the contest.
The Crusaders, No. 14 in the nation, have a chance to avenge that loss in this week’s ASC Tournament, which will be played at ETBU in Marshall, Texas. UMHB is the tournament’s No. 1 seed and faces No. 8 seed Belhaven at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinal round. UMHB ended its regular season with an 18-1 conference record.
To read more about UMHB’s performance last week, head over to the links below:
UMHB women’s basketball uses strong fourth quarter run to defeat Belhaven
