JACKSON, Mississippi- James McGlumphy set the tone Friday afternoon. And the weekend ended with UMHB baseball’s 400th win as a D-III program. Chalk it up to a memorable weekend on the road for the Crusaders, now 12-10 on the year, who took two of three from Belhaven, winning the series on Saturday afternoon.
McGlumphy, a true freshman, performed like a senior in the series opener, holding the Blazers to a mere two hits and walked just two batters in a complete-game shutout. He struck out eight over the seven-inning, 7-0 victory. That success was aided by another strong offensive performance from UMHB, as Warren Sammons went 3-for-4 at the plate, scoring the go-ahead run in the second inning on Drake Herrera’s single.
With the bases loaded later in that inning, Caimyn Holiday was hit by a pitch, bringing Ryan Farmer across the plate, making the score 2-0. Sammons would eventually race home from second base, extending the lead to 7-0 in the seventh, as Kaden deBerardinis’ single scored both him and Farmer with two outs.
In the second game of that evening, UMHB once again scored first, but Belhaven countered with two runs of its own in the sixth inning, taking advantage of two errors and a trio of hits. The Blazers evened the series with a 2-1 victory, as the Cru did not push a runner past second base for the game’s final three innings.
The hitting may have been absent late Friday night, but there was no question UMHB’s offensive rhythm was regained in Saturday’s series finale. The opponents combined for 30 hits, 19 of those from the Crusaders, as the visitors from Belton captured a 15-6 victory.
After Belhaven tallied the game’s first out, UMHB rattled off three straight singles, with Caimyn Holiday, who broke the program record for career infield assists (291) on Friday, crossing the plate on Hunter Jones’ base hit. Holiday was strong for the Cru throughout the series, but especially on Saturday, as the shortstop scored three runs, going 2-for-5 with a walk.
Malek Bolin saw his 11-game hit streak end in the series opener, but he did not leave Jackson without making an impression. The power-hitting first baseman swatted a pair of home runs in the victory, part of a 4-for-6 day at the plate, highlighted by four RBIs. That mark, along with his two home runs, were each season-bests for the senior, who is hitting .400 and leads the Cru with 28 RBIs.
Bolin’s three-run home run was the exclamation point in Saturday’s contest, coming in the ninth inning, extending the lead to nine runs.
Nicklas Fenner moved to 3-1 on the year, as he pitched 5.2 innings on the mound, striking out five with five earned runs. Zack Honey and Trevor Ripke then came out of the bullpen, closing out the final 3.1 innings with near-flawless work, allowing just two hits and two walks in a combined 12 batters faced.
The Crusaders, with win No. 400 as a D-III program, under their belt, are set for a Tuesday night non-conference duel with Southwestern in Belton, before hosting ETBU in an ASC weekend series.
