Hogwood’s 7 RBIs lift UMHB Baseball to 13-0 shutout of Hardin-Simmons in series opener

Photo of Kyle Hogwood by Bob Sanford

BELTON–Kyle Hogwood entered Friday’s series opener against Hardin-Simmons still seeking the first home run of his UMHB career. But when the senior, who is in his second year in the program, walked off the field on Friday night, he had not one, but two homers on his career stat line after a performance that will etch itself into the program record book. 

Hogwood finished with seven RBIs in a dominant 13-0 victory for The Cru, becoming the first Crusader to drive in seven runs in a single game since Chase Burrow did so against Ozarks on March 21, 2014. The Forney, Texas native went 3-for-5 with three runs scored as UMHB improved to 18-9 overall and 10-6 in ASC play. 

Home-run hitting was a storyline of the evening, with two key homers in the early innings giving UMHB the momentum. Ryan Farmer, who made his third straight start, opened the scoring with a solo home run in the first inning and his second in the last three games. 

Hogwood then swatted his first home run of the evening, and it couldn’t have come in a bigger moment. In the third inning, with the bases loaded and two outs, he took a pitch from HSU starter Will Tumlinson deep over the left field wall for a grand slam and a 5-0 lead. 

But Hogwood wasn’t done. In the fifth inning, Rhett Grosz doubled, and stole third base, setting up an RBI single up the middle from Hogwood. It was the final batter Tumlinson faced before he was pulled from the game, and in the next at-bat, Hogwood scored on Jayden Chatman’s RBI base hit for a 7-0 lead. 

Then came the sixth inning, and it was Hogwood again. Carson Hagan and Grosz electrified the home crowd with Hogwood at the plate in his third at-bat, with back-to-back double steals. Hagan swiped third as Grosz took second, and then came yet another momentum-building play as Hagan stole home as Grosz advanced to third. And Hogwood followed suit, sending a pitch deep beyond the wall at Red Murff Field and into the April sky. 

The sixth inning ended up being UMHB’s longest inning in the victory, with six runs coming across on seven hits as 13 batters stepped to the plate. After singling to lead off the inning, Jordan Fernandez accomplished the rare feat of recording two hits in the same inning, driving a pitch to right field that brought Elijah Rodriguez across the plate with two outs. Fernandez went 3-for-5 at the plate in the win, which also marked the freshman’s UMHB debut.

That capped the scoring, and it was more than enough, as James McGlumphy delivered one of his strongest starts of the season on the mound. He shut out HSU in 7.0 innings with just three hits allowed, one walk, and eight strikeouts. It marked the most strikeouts in a start for McGlumphy this season, as he improved to 4-2 in 2024. Relievers Bryce Farlander and Reid Cromie each delivered a 1.0 inning of scoreless pitching to seal the shutout victory. 

Game Notes

• UMHB had allowed just one run in two victories this season, but tonight’s victory marked The Cru’s first shutout of 2024. 
• The Crusaders tallied 19 hits in the win, a new season-high and the most in a single game since they tallied 22 in an April 9, 2021 victory over Concordia (TX). 
• Entering the contest, Hogwood had hit safely in four of his five games this season. However, tonight marks his first multi-hit performance as a Crusader. 
• Farmer, who went 3-for-6 at the plate, tallied three hits in a single game for just the fourth time in his career and the first time since the 2022 season. 
• Hagan and Grosz each stole three bases apiece for a total of six for UMHB in the win. It marks the fifth time UMHB has stolen six or more bases in a conference game this season. 
• The Cru had three home runs in a game for the second time this season, with the first being a loss to Whittier on March 13. It is the first time since the previously-referenced April 9, 2021 matchup against Concordia that The Cru homered three times or more in an ASC home game.

Up Next

UMHB leads the series 1-0 heading into Saturday’s doubleheader, which begins at noon. The series finale will follow at 2:30 p.m. from Red Murff Field.