-Bryce Hayes, TLU Sports Information
(Belton) – The No. 25 ranked Texas Lutheran baseball team fell for the first time since March 19 and saw a 14-game winning streak end Tuesday night in a 6-5 loss to Mary Hardin-Baylor at Red Murff Field in Belton.
Former Seguin High School standout Robert McCall, who transferred to UMHB from TLU, hit the walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning. He also hit his second home run of the season in the first. Recent Navarro graduate Sam Muniga started at shortstop for the Crusaders.
Mary Hardin-Baylor stuck first scoring three runs on two home runs in the bottom of the first to jump out to a 3-0 lead.
Texas Lutheran responded with a run in the second and added two more in the third to tie the game 3-3 – highlighted by an RBI single from Alec Sanchez and a sacrifice fly from Joe Jimenez.
UMHB scratched a run across in the bottom of the third with a solo homer to regain a 4-3 lead.
Texas Lutheran would score two runs in the fifth to take a 5-4 lead entering the bottom of the fifth. UMHB would hit yet another home run in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game 5-all – where the game would remain until the bottom of the ninth.
The Texas Lutheran pitching staff struck out nine batters in total. Blake Cappadona punched out six hitters in his three and two-thirds innings of work in relief.
Up next, No. 25 Texas Lutheran will face off against the No. 17 Trinity Tigers in a battle for first place in the SCAC.
The Bulldogs will face the Tigers in a three-day, three game weekend series April 22-24, all under the lights at the Trinity Baseball Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7 PM on Friday, as well as on Saturday and Sunday. All streaming and live stats links can be found on tlubulldogs.com.